Sephiroth's Heart
by Phantasmal Abduction
Summary: A ruthless Assassin. Memories that cross millenia. A time of blood, deciet and betrayal. FF7 characters and Leon, but a whole new story. Pairings, well i will only say yaoimainly and leave it at that. You'll just have to read it
1. Chapter 1

A.N This is a first try at a fanfic so I'm just going to add this disclaimer in for all my fics. I do not own any of the characters in any of the Final Fantasy series or in Kingdom Hearts, if i decide to write a fic for that. This is in no way following the plot of Final Fantasy 7, all my own (somewhat crazed imagination). For those of you who do not like violence and yaoi I think you should leave now, but for all those as depraved as me, welcome :) The pairings in this are a little odd, so sue me, and i apologise for what happens later in the story to a certain few characters, don't hate me. I am sorry for the graphic scenes, I just couldn't help it, they did it themselves i tell you. anyway enough rambling, please enjoy.  
_Cloud: What the hell was that all about?  
Sephiroth: Buggered if I know. Shall we just leave her to her insanity?  
Cloud: I think that might be best, lets just let everyone read this fic._

_Phantasmal Abduction pokes out her tongue and sulks. Leaving you all to read this crazed piece of writing  
_

**Sephiroth's heart.**

1. Green Eyes in Shadow 

The night parted silently and a figure slipped out of the shadows into a small pool of moonlight. His jade green eyes darted around the still scene and took in the half hidden sentries, whose stares were fixed on the captivating ritual being enacted.

A guard turned slightly and yawned widely causing the silhouette to again merge with the shadow of the trees. As the guard turned back to the ceremony the shadowy form suddenly materialized behind him; breaking his neck in one swift, fluid movement and lowering him to the ground without a sound; then he drew his immense battle-blade. The rest of the sentries were unaware that behind them, a shadow visited soundless death on them, one by one, as the ritual continued oblivious.

This was to change. The priests conducting the ceremony became aware that something was amiss in the surrounding woods when a dying guard managed to grab a tree branch and snap it off as he fell, choking silently to the ground. The gathering of Starmardi was immediately alert to the menace that threatened them but none of them had any clue as to the malevolent nature of the being.

While the gathering milled around in consternation, the killer took the chance to swoop out of the trees like an avenging angel. He took life indiscriminately and without pity. He was the incarnation of death itself and all fell before his flashing blade.

One or two of the priests attempted to resist the pitiless death being visited by the expert killer; one jumping onto his back while the other went for his sword-hand. All that was accomplished through this brave feat was for the hood of the executioner's cloak to be ripped away, letting loose a river of fine silver hair that glowed in the pale moonlight, almost seeming alive. The slayer dispatched the ill-fated priests with two quick sweeps of his blade and turned dispassionately back to the scene of carnage.

Only one being lived to reflect on the slaughter of the innocent gathering, and even this Watcher could not recall a coherent version of events. All that would come into the Watcher's mind was an impression of wild, long, silver hair, flowing with his swift movements and unrelenting death.

The Watcher smiled down at the whirl of deadly blade and blazing hair. This was the Assassin.


	2. Chapter 2

2. Flowers, Feelings

Aeris smiled down at her flourishing garden in satisfaction. She had poured her heart and spirit into the flowers and now in the blooming of the plot, her place of peace was complete. The small section of the backyard was a paradise filled with multicolored bursts of blossoms and there was a whole quarter of the garden dedicated to the rose, her favorite flower of all; particularly the delicate purple 'Goddesses Blessing'.

She had begun the garden six months after she met Leon and she came there to escape the man's dark yet fascinating charm. Aeris did not want to be drawn to the mysterious fighter; he aroused inexplicable feelings in her that she didn't know she had, every time she came across him, no matter what she was occupied with doing at the time, even if she was elbow deep in dishes, all she wanted to do was feel her body pressed up against his, run her hands over his muscled chest and hold him close. She did not want to feel this way. As long as she could remember, Aeris had been attracted to women but with Leon's entrance into her life, her thoughts were confused and her heart seemed to be telling her something that could not be. As well as her preference of women, her feelings had something else to contend with; Leon was gay.

Yanking out a weed, Aeris cast her mind back to happier, simple times. Her life had not always been such a tumult of confusing emotions and dark moods.

_The beautiful blossoms on the low-hanging tree dropped into the calm blue pool one by one. One fell into the lap of the young woman who sat sobbing by the deep water. She ignored the beauty around her, her mind turned totally inward._

_It was only two days before that Filone, the youngest child in her care, had passed into Kalharoth, suffering from a mysterious illness. When Aeris had taken the child to Eldai the healer, he had laid the child down on his table and sat cross-legged holding his hands palm upward in the traditional appeal to the wisdom of the goddess Starmarda. After an hour of impassioned communication with his goddess he told her with great sorrow that the malady was the result of hostile magic and that his holy magic was not strong enough to counter the evil that infested his small body. The compassion in his face pierced her heart like a knife and she broke down into tears. _

_In the course of his prayers, Eldai had told Aeris of the specialized magic used to bring death to the boy and he had sadly mentioned that if the sickness had struck even a week later it would not have taken hold to such a degree. In four days Filone was to turn seven; a holy number to those who followed the way of the Starmardi, and any person in their seventh year could not be touched by this style of unholy sorcery. That Filone could survive for so long and be so close to the age that magic could not touch, the injustice of it was unbelievable._

_Leaving the healers hut, Aeris cradled the feather-light boy closely to her chest. His uneven breathing and labored heartbeat fuelled her tears and she moved faster to get back to the small dwelling in which she cared for orphaned children that found their way to her. The charges she took care of were her reason for living and every time one left her house of sanctuary she lost a piece of her spirit, though she received one in return._

_Once she reached the security of the shelter, and expertly negotiated the complex web of hallways that riddled the modest house she had found and repaired into a decent shelter for homeless children, she carefully laid Filone on his bed, and sat on the floor next to him. It was then she realized that she could no longer hear the sound of his strained breathing. He had passed into the eternal keeping of Kalharoth, Land of the Dead and could feel no more pain._

_Aeris looked up when she heard a tentative footstep on the brittle flowers that littered the floor of the forest glen, pulling her from her melancholy reverie. It was Kess, another testament to Aeris' compassion. The teenage girl sat down gracefully next to Aeris and put her arms around the distraught woman. Neither knew how it happened but they were in each other's arms and their lips met softly. The two women lost their sorrow in their delicate exploration of the sensations that coursed through their bodies draining away their tears and replacing them with breathless, unexpected arousal._

_Aeris sucked in a quick breath as Kess reached down shyly and took one of her firm breasts in her hand. They guiltily, yet reluctantly, broke apart as they heard loud footsteps clattering down the gravel path interrupting their private tryst next to the crystalline depths of the serene pool._

Aeris dragged herself out of her memories. Times with Kess were uncomplicated and she had never felt any ambivalence in the young woman's adoring devotion. Kess was the one person who never asked anything of her, the one person who she could confide in completely. But Kess was gone. Killed by the silver haired Assassin that had slain all the children in his bid to destroy her.

Aeris brushed away the single tear that spilled down her cheek. There was no point in lingering in old memories and crying over the past, even though she knew that she would never find another like Kess. They had escaped the Assassin; there would be no more running, no more death.




	3. Chapter 3

3. Clarity

Cloud glanced up as Tifa quietly walked into his dark room and the frown on his face eased into a gentle grin. Every time he laid eyes on her she seemed to pull him out of whatever dark thoughts he happened to be in. His frown quickly returned as he remembered the reason for his sober train of thought. Dodging the piles of paper on his floor and walking behind his desk Tifa placed her arms around his neck comfortingly. 'Cloud,' she said softly. 'What's wrong?'

Cloud sighed and gripped her slim yet firmly toned arm to his chest. 'Another Starmardi gathering was slaughtered in the night, during a ritual celebration of Life and Renewal. This time the slaughter was four days walk down the forest track. It is getting closer to our haven in these woods.' He stood up abruptly and held her to him. 'The killings are getting too close. It is the Assassin, I am sure of it. I can't deny it any longer.'

Tifa closed her eyes, wrapped her slender arms around him and held him close. This news could only mean that they were discovered and their place of hiding could quickly become a place of carnage if they didn't move on. She opened her eyes again and looked up at the man she loved. Though not articulate she could offer Cloud another kind of comfort. Holding him even closer, she moved him deliberately back towards his unmade bed.

Cloud pulled back slightly and looked askance. 'Are you sure- he began to ask. Tifa laid a firm hand on his lips and without saying a word pulled him in for a tender kiss. Cloud was wearing leather pants borrowed from their friend Leon, and still kissing him Tifa undid the button and zip and slowly worked them down over his hips. Once the pants were discarded onto the floor, Cloud swung Tifa around and pushed her down onto the bed.

Kneeling down beside her, he continued kissing her and traced the contours of her beautiful face with his fingertips. His hands maintained their soft caresses and moved down her long throat to her firm, full breasts, touching her first through her thin white top and then effortlessly stripping it off to caress her bare skin. She moaned as he stroked in a smooth spiral around her breasts moving slowly in, until he reached the sensitive nipple.

Tifa gasped when he brushed his rough palm over her nipple and then her breath hissed in quickly as he took it in his mouth. Cloud heard her gasp and reached for her other breast with his hand. He squeezed and rubbed one hard nipple, while he nibbled and pulled on the other. Tifa groaned with pleasure and lifted her hips toward him in an unconscious signal of desire. She could feel his hard cock against her leg and she groaned again as waves of need swept over her.

Cloud felt her desire but slowly and sensuously pulled off her skirt. He ran his hands down her muscled stomach and swept them out and over her hips and outer thighs. Smoothly changing direction he brought his hands back up her inner thighs and ran his fingers over her soft pubic hair. Using gentle motions he traced every fold of her until she felt like she would explode, then he held her folds apart and reached down with his tongue and found her clit. A soft moan escaped her lips and he gently worked her clit with his tongue, nibbling and sucking and rubbing. Tifa cried out softly and then moaned louder as he moved his tongue faster and harder over her clit. She was so lost in her pleasure that she did not notice when he sat up and removed his boxers.

With a swift thrust he was deep inside her and her cries grew louder as she raised up to meet his thrust. He backed out and with a surge of pleasure drove in deeper. Her cries grew more frantic and he held his weight on his hands and plunged into her, unable to hold back any longer. He slammed hard into her and fucked her deep and fast drawing cry after cry as she grew closer and closer to climax. She heard his strong breathing and her own, as their cries mingled. Then he cried out her name and she rose to meet his exquisite release with her own.

With a few more strokes Cloud relaxed on top of her feeling her lush body beneath him and he sighed in contentment. Tifa was his life and she was the one person who knew what he needed and gave him herself without asking for anything in return. He rolled off her and lay next to her just happy to hold her. Her unconditional love cleared his mind of the turmoil brought on by the knowledge of the evil stalking them and he was content to live in the moment. Tifa deserved his attention, and he had given her little of that in recent times. The problem of the Assassin could wait until later. This kind of crisis needed the minds of his friends to temper the despair he felt and even though Tifa could sooth his mood until it calmed, she could not, alone, offer the clarity that his other friends brought when they were all together.




	4. Chapter 4

4. Entangled Meeting 

Leon turned to see Cloud walk down the spiral staircase and into the spacious kitchen. It took his breath away. The blond had a way of walking that aroused him immeasurably. Furtively Leon drank in Clouds firmly muscled arms and silky blond spikes of hair; he was beautiful. Leon also knew that he didn't have a chance with the enigmatic fighter. All the world could see that Cloud had devoted his life to Tifa. Leon sighed and turned back to the coffee he was making before Cloud hijacked his train of thought. What wouldn't I give for the chance to be with Cloud, he thought regretfully.

Cloud was aware that there was something going on with Leon that he couldn't quite grasp, but he pushed it to the back of his mind. I have to be thinking of the Assassin. He thought. We have to find a way to escape his evil. 'Leon,' he said aloud. 'Can you call the others? There's something that we all need to discuss.'

As he turned away Cloud caught a glimpse of something inscrutable in Leon's fathomless azure eyes and felt an unexplainable shudder pass through him. The intense stare stirred a strange arousal in him that he did not want to explore. His heart lay with Tifa and he knew he wasn't gay. Was he? Continuing into the lounge he sank into the comfortable sofa and buried his head in his hands trying to banish the peculiar sensations that passed through him. Shaking his head to dispel the disturbing thoughts he narrowed his brilliant blue eyes and tugged his thoughts back to the Assassin. He had to focus on the task at hand; he could worry about himself and his problems later.

Leon took a deep steadying breath and gripped the bench top tightly. He couldn't keep the momentary flash of desire from his eyes as he saw that Cloud had borrowed his leather pants. The pants fitted Cloud closely and outlined his powerful legs perfectly, showing every well-developed muscle and every contour of his groin area as well.

Leon groaned in confused yearning and then his eyes suddenly flew open. Was it his imagination, or had he seen his look of lust returned as Cloud had turned quickly into the lounge. He replayed the scene again in his head and behind his eyes saw the unmistakable flash of interest in Cloud's expression. Then he recalled the look of confusion and something else, denial. Cloud did not want to want him, he realized and he had to fight the tingling of tears as he recognized this, Cloud had never wanted him. Not once in the ten years that they had been close friends.

Refusing to believe that Cloud would reject him, Leon strode into the doorway to the lounge. There he saw Cloud sitting with his head cradled in his hands, shaking his head in an incessant denial. Wounded deeply by his friend's rejection of him Leon pulled up short and crept back into the kitchen.

Well fine, he thought. If Cloud doesn't want me I won't go making a fool of myself. To hell with him! And with that final irate thought he yanked open the door and rushed out of the cottage into the forest.

x x x

The stranger's eyes gleamed as he watched the young woman tending her flowers. She had no one in sight of her and would be an easy target; also, she was the one that his mistress stressed the importance of. If he failed to kill all of the others, he must manage somehow to kill her. He didn't know the reason, but trusted his mistress implicitly.

Stealthily he pulled out a tiny throwing dagger. It would be able to hiss silently through the air and slay the woman before she had time to make a sound. Stepping from behind the tree he pulled back his arm to throw, when suddenly a tall figure hurried out of the thick woods and crashed straight into him. They went down in an uncoordinated tangle of limbs but even so, the stranger still had the presence of mind to store the dagger in an inside pocket of his cloak.

In the fall, the hood of the stranger's cloak had been thrown back and, looking up, Leon caught his breath. The hood revealed a wealth of fine, silver hair that flowed down the man's back and when their eyes met, Leon became lost in the jade green depths of the man's eyes. The would-be killer was also staring in wonder. He had never seen such compelling eyes as those that looked at him from the coldly handsome face of the man on the ground.

Without thinking he offered his hand, which the man grasped to pull himself up and they both felt a shock run through both of them at the touch of their bare skin. They felt as if an instant inexplicable connection was being forged between them, yet neither had any clue as to the nature of this link. Leon hauled himself up and offered an unsteady hand. 'I'm Leon.' he said softly.

The cloaked man took the proffered hand and said in a surprisingly melodious voice, 'My name is Sephiroth.' He surprised himself by offering his given name without artifice. For so long he had been the Assassin or any number of false names, he couldn't remember the last person to know him by his real name.

Leon didn't recognize the name; Sephiroth would have been astounded if he had. Sephiroth's life extended over centuries and his name was forgotten to history, as was his identity. The violent deeds he had committed in the name of the Empire Carna and Legion of Angels so long ago were still remembered, but none still living knew of the One Winged Angel Sephiroth.

For the first time in his long life Sephiroth was grateful that his past was lost to the mists of time, for some reason he couldn't bear the look of hatred he would see in Leon's face and the withdrawing that would happen if he was aware of to whom he talked. With a flash of insight Sephiroth recognized the feeling welling up inside him as disgust at his own actions. Shaking his head slightly, Sephiroth tried to dispel the disturbing new emotions trying to overwhelm him. He could not feel this all because of a man he hardly knew, there was no way he could fail his mistress in this mission.

Realizing he had been silent for too long, Sephiroth pulled himself out of his reverie and focused again on Leon's eyes. He quickly recognized this was a mistake as both he and Leon were enraptured and held by each other's gaze. Before he could think or even react, Sephiroth was pushed against a tree and felt Leon's lips on his. Sephiroth's eyes opened wide in surprise and then he closed them and responded to Leon's passionate kiss.

His hand reached up and plunged into Leon's glossy, thick hair and his other hand slid down his side and rested on the man's hip. His lust for Leon grew and he grasped his tight, muscled butt and pulled the man hard against him. Their bodies melded together and they felt each other's growing hunger. Leon ran his hand down Sephiroth's leather-clad chest and felt his nipples contract under the teasing pressure; squeezing one gently he elicited a strangled groan from Sephiroth, and taking this as a signal he reached down further, to Sephiroth's hot, hard manhood.

Even though he was deeply lost in the sensations flowing through him, Sephiroth was the first to hear Cloud's voice loudly calling Leon and rebuking him for not gathering the rest of the group. The spell was broken and Leon stepped back from Sephiroth, flustered and stuttered, 'I'm sorry, I, I, don't know what came over me.'

Sephiroth's eyes still glowed and he also felt bewildered by the powerful emotions that swept over him. 'Leon,' he said on impulse. 'Can I come back with you to your home? I've heard that the surrounding forest is not safe and I need somewhere secure to stay. My family was slaughtered a week ago and I've been wandering since.'

Hearing this, Leon took Sephiroth's hand in his, offering wordless support and led him through the woods in the direction of their sanctuary. He would do anything for this man, his feelings and his heart dictated his actions. He could not help the intense emotions that he felt.

Sephiroth's deception of the man he knew that he already loved nearly broke through his cold-hearted detachment and for a split second the crazy thought of abandoning his mission crossed his mind, but then he thought of his past and his resolve stiffened as he remembered that this was the only way to redeem himself of his sins. These people had to die for the woman who held his redemption in her hand.


	5. Chapter 5

5. Lies and Pain 

Cloud's head jerked up as Leon strode through the door defiantly. The biting remark that he had prepared died on his lips as a stunning man followed Leon into the small dwelling. All eyes fixed on Sephiroth as they waited for Leon to explain his presence.

Cloud's mind was in turmoil and he felt an overwhelming sense that he should know this beautiful outsider. The silver hair and piercing green eyes stirred inside him memories that lingered just out of his reach; and he could feel that they were not pleasant ones. He faced Leon and folded his arms, fixing his gaze on Leon's face and waited for an explanation.

Sephiroth, feeling the tension in the air, stepped forward and again drew all eyes to him. 'I'm from a village not too far from the town of Riwerth, my name is Sephiroth.' He said quietly. He then forced his voice to become halting and half strangled. 'My village and my family were all murdered around a week ago. Slain for their support of the Diardhirrim and the religion of Starmardi, I don't know who would do such a thing.'

Everybody started talking at once over this painful announcement and the two women, Aeris and Tifa, both rushed forward to offer comfort to the seemingly distraught man that stood in front of them, head bowed in grief.

Cloud pushed aside his misgivings in the face of this tragic tale. Something about the stranger rung false, but he would wait until he and Tifa were alone to explore the reasons for his reservations, rather than call Sephiroth a liar outright. He advanced on Sephiroth and grasped his hand in a show of friendship. But as his hand came into contact with the exposed skin of Sephiroth's hand and wrist, he felt the same shock run through him that had so enthralled Leon. With Cloud however it was different. The shock, almost like an electric charge coursed through his body and as the shudder burned it's way through his veins, he caught glimpses of memories locked deep inside of his brain. He was transfixed by these images until Sephiroth yanked his hand back suddenly, as though he had been burned.

Cloud looked at the strange yet beautiful man with an expression of awe. Unlike Leon, he recognized the shock as the telling sign of the immense power of a mage. He now knew that Sephiroth was one of a small, elite number of humans to be known as Angel.

Cloud stepped back and found his seat on the couch, wondering how to begin. The news that he had to share with the group was of such a disturbing nature that he still hesitated as to whether he should burden the others. Then, thinking of Sephiroth's story he made the decision.

Once everyone was comfortable he cleared his throat and said simply, 'The Assassin has found us.'

Aeris stifled a cry of horror; the Assassin had slaughtered every one of the children she had been living with and caring for, in his mission to find her and her group of renegade friends; even the name haunted her waking nightmares. 'We have to run,' she moaned. 'We can't fight that evil. It will exterminate us with as little thought, as it would give an insect. It isn't human. It would kill us all if we tried to fight.' Aeris dissolved into uncontrollable sobs and Tifa hurried over to try to comfort her. The women clung to each other, trying to sooth the ache they both felt. The news that the Assassin had found them was especially devastating for Aeris because of the children she had lost, but Tifa felt the horror of the murderers presence nonetheless. The Assassin was not just after Aeris; his relentless pursuit included everyone else that Tifa loved as well.




	6. Chapter 6

6. The Angel and The Assassin 

Sephiroth went pale at the mention of the Assassin and his legs gave way. He sank into a seat and buried his head in his hands, unable to believe that he was not discovered. Unbidden, his long memories came flooding into his mind and he was engulfed in shadows as one from long ago came to the fore.

_It was dusk, under a younger sky, when he stumbled out of the crumbling ruin, covered in blood and half conscious. The woman watched as his sword fell from his nerveless hands and he collapsed at her feet, then she kicked him cruelly onto his back. He coughed and spat a wad of blood out of his mouth and she stepped back in distaste. Turning to the guard at her side she motioned towards Sephiroth as he writhed in pain on the ground and said in harsh tones, 'Bring him.' The guard slung him over a horse's back and the exquisite pain broke his tenuous hold on consciousness and he fell into a black pit of pain._

_Consciousness returned and his whole body throbbed. He felt again the sting that had woken him up. He opened his eyes to see the guard standing over him, and swinging his arm back with a whip for another blow. Sephiroth didn't think. As the lash came down again, he moved aside with frightening swiftness and the lash stuck the floor hard enough to crack the flagstone. He was up on his feet in an instant and faced the guard warily. The guard stared arrogantly into his face; sure that he could take this injured, semiconscious stranger._

_Moving swifter than Sephiroth had anticipated, the guardsman pulled back the whip and flicked the tip out low to the ground, attempting to wrap it around Sephiroth's ankles. Leaping easily over the rather clumsy strike, Sephiroth was on the guard in an instant._

_Snatching a tiny hidden dagger from the top of his tall boot, Sephiroth drove it into the hapless man's neck, deftly severing his jugular. Uttering a few desperate gurgles, the man finally collapsed to the floor, blood gushing from his slit throat._

_Suddenly, behind him, Sephiroth heard a hidden door open and he spun around in a crouch, covered in blood, dagger at the ready willing to face whatever was to come through into the dungeon._

_The woman stepped regally out of the darkness and in the bright light of the torches Sephiroth stared in wonder at her imperious demeanor. Her skin was a gleaming copper-gold, which contrasted starkly with her blond, nearly white hair that cascaded down her back and almost to her hips. The eyes that stared icily down at him had a breathtaking purple sheen and in the flickering light they shone with the feral reflection of a cat's eye. Two immense wings extended from her bare back, wings of shadow and darkness._

_Sephiroth's mind reeled as he realized the 'woman' was not a woman at all. She was the being known as The Angel. It was she that controlled the Legion of Angels, a collection of the world's most preeminent sorcerers, to which he belonged .The most powerful sorcerer in the known world was standing in front of him, coolly appraising him something about her seemed strangely familiar, yet he could not put his finger on the exact reason for his feeling of connection with the remote sorceress. Maybe it was simply that the wings on her back were so like his single one._

_The Angel stared at him a second longer with a look of veiled approval in her jarringly unusual eyes. He heard her voice again but this time inside his head. 'You are the great Sephiroth.' She mind-spoke to him. 'Your deeds in my service condemn you to utter sorrow and your thoughts tell me of how you wish this weren't so. This place you are in is your hell and here you will remain unless you embrace the redemption that only I can offer.'_

_Sephiroth heard her words but was not able to comprehend them. How was this woman able to give him salvation after centuries of horror and bloodshed? He lifted his head to again meet her eyes, 'By what authority do you offer me this?' he murmured. 'I am not worthy of this and no power I know of would even consider offering me what you just have. Why do you come to me to give me this? I have just suffered through an ordeal that would have left lesser men dead, but I yet survive when all I want is peace. Why not give me that and let me die?'_

_Meeting his jade-green gaze with her purple eyes she replied silently, 'The trial that you survived was but a test, set for you to discover if you were the one who may bring me what I seek. That you endured and still continue to live is confirmation of what I had but guessed until this moment. You still exist after the torments of the lower hells tore at your mind; you are the survivor of a battle to the death with one known only as the Dread; and the Ruins of Ashinar both failed to take your sanity and could not keep your living soul imprisoned in it's labyrinths. You are to become the Assassin. A being whose life is death; whose existence continues merely to end that of others. This you will do for me because in your heart you know that the rewards are worth the cost; that the killings will bring you to salvation. And also because you realize that if you refuse, I will not allow my continued existence and purpose be revealed; I would trap your soul and empty shell where none could go. All chance to atone for your sins would be lost forever, yet your consciousness would still be aware. I will train you in the arts of stealth and enchantment; train you as I was once trained. You _will_ become my Assassin, Sephiroth.'_

_Hot tears clouded his vision and Sephiroth knew that he could refuse The Angel nothing. She held the keys to his very continuation and he could read in her voice and the set in her face that none of her threats were hollow. Lowering his stare he whispered one word that nonetheless echoed around the dungeon like a death knell._

'_Yes.'_




	7. Chapter 7

7. Denial 

Leon was the first one to Sephiroth's side when the tall man collapsed into the chair and passed out of consciousness, and he was the first one that the green eyes focused on when they opened. This time however, when their eyes met, Sephiroth refused to meet his gaze and turned his head away. He couldn't become attached to this man who was to be a victim of the Assassin; he could let nothing come between him and the end of his hell. His salvation was close, and Leon was to be one of the last sacrifices in his bid for redemption.

For a moment Leon stared at Sephiroth, confused and hurt. He could tell the man felt the same as him and that feelings that strong could not be denied. Yet Sephiroth seemed intent on denying the love so recently expressed in the shadows of the woods. Leon, not in the least aware of the conflict that tortured Sephiroth's soul, felt the anguish of betrayal and standing up abruptly, he rushed again out of the house.

Running blindly through the dense forest Leon finally stopped when a tree root caught his foot, sending him sprawling. Lying on the cold, hard ground he buried his face in his hands and cried his agony to the unfeeling forest.

His eyes burned and his lungs would not fill properly. The excruciating pain inside him was more than he could bear. Pulling himself slowly up off the ground, Leon set off back toward the quarters he lived in, next door to Cloud and Tifa. How could he be around Sephiroth and not be able to touch him? How could he return to the others knowing that the one he loved did not return the powerful feelings that welled up inside him? The feelings overflowed again and a single tear dripped down his face. Was there something wrong with him? Could no one love him?

Once he got close enough to see Cloud and Tifa's home, Leon slowed his pace and stole around the back of the house past Aeris' garden. He felt he couldn't handle talking to anyone with all the feelings raging inside of him. They would want to know the reason for his exit and tearstained face, and he could not cope with the questions.

Walking across the small path that separated his and Cloud's dwellings, Leon's last steps up to his door became a run and he threw himself inside just as Sephiroth walked around the side of the house. He paused to squint through the window and Leon shrank down behind the couch until Sephiroth pulled back from the window and trudged on, dejected. He had been trying to find Leon and explain his behavior but then had had second thoughts. After all, what would he say?

Tears again came to Leon's eyes and he dashed to his bedroom and fell onto the bed his body wracked with sobs. Sephiroth had never cared about him, he thought. I have nothing and no one. His moans of pain quieted and a knife sitting on his bedside table caught his eye. He stared at it and his face tightened. His gaze became as cold and hard as stone.




	8. Chapter 8

8. Love and Blood 

Sephiroth rejoined the group sitting in the lounge. It had been four hours and no one had been able to find Leon anywhere. He had disappeared before, but never for so long and everyone was starting to get worried.

Sephiroth suddenly leaped up. He couldn't stand the uncertainty as to where Leon was and whether he was all right. Even though he couldn't admit it to himself, Sephiroth's feelings for the dark and temperamental fighter ran deep and had marked his heart forever. He could not tolerate sitting and doing nothing.

He looked at the others and muttered, 'I'm going back to Leon's place, to see if he's come home yet.'

With that perfunctory statement he ran out of the door and sprinted across the woodland path to Leon's house. He could not explain the urgency he felt but he knew that he had to get to Leon as soon as possible.

The door was unlocked, and this heightened his sense that something was wrong. He burst through the door and took the stairs two at a time; his awareness that something wasn't right was clutching his heart. He kicked the first door of the hallway in and found it led to a bathroom. The next door however opened into Leon's bedroom.

Sephiroth crashed through this door and pulled up short. He couldn't speak, couldn't breathe, and felt his head spin with the awfulness of the scene in front of him.

Leon was lying on the bed, one hand loosely clutching the knife from the table; from his wrists and throat bright red blood flowed steadily. The gashes on his forearms were deep, as was the slash across his pale neck and the blood had already stained most of the bed coverings a vivid red, draining his face to pallid white. His blue eyes were closed; he already looked dead

Sephiroth sank to his knees and uttered a choked groan of agony. All of his life had been spent on battlefields and around death, but this was the most terrible sight he had ever witnessed. The man he loved, lying motionless, with his life slowly draining away.

At that moment something inside Sephiroth snapped. He suddenly knew that he couldn't kill any of these people to save himself, and he could not let Leon die. He jumped up and rushed into the bathroom next door.

Ripping open the medicine cabinet above the sink, Sephiroth desperately searched for anything that could possibly be used as a bandage. Finding nothing, he shoved himself away from the sink with a grunt and ran back to Leon's room. As he entered, his eye lit upon a pile of white sheets beside the bed.

Grabbing a handful, he moved to the bedside and, with strength born of desperation, tore each sheet into long strips. Sitting on the edge of the bed, unmindful of the puddles of blood, he gently picked up Leon's lacerated arm and began wrapping the lengths of sheet as tightly as he dared around the long slits in Leon's wrists; tears silently dripping down his cheeks, despairing moans of pain forcing through his bloodless lips. He could feel the pain that consumed Leon as though it were his own.




	9. Chapter 9

9. Frantic Fear 

Tifa rapidly paced around the small, crowded lounge. Although she hardly knew Sephiroth, and found Leon aloof and unapproachable most of the time, she felt a connection with the two men that went beyond personal feelings.

Her sense of people was usually accurate and she felt deep inside that Leon and Sephiroth were important to their attempts to escape the Assassin and to thwart some ultimate faceless power that she could not identify.

Suddenly she spun around and stared at Cloud. 'Something's wrong!' she whispered. 'Leon, oh Leon, we have to help them. We have to get to Leon's place!'

Tifa twisted around and ran to the door followed by Aeris and Cloud. Jumping off the deck she raced as fast as she could toward Leon's quietly menacing house. Something was happening inside the house, something was enormously wrong. Fear lent her wings and she quickly outdistanced the other two. 'Hurry!' she urged the others. 'Please hurry!'

They flat out ran through the open front door and hurried up the stairs. Crashing down the hall, they stopped just outside of Leon's bedroom. Still ahead of the other two, Tifa ran frantically into the bedroom.

The first thing that stuck Tifa was the aura of sheer desolation that pervaded the modest room. She found that she was looking down on Sephiroth's bowed head as he tenderly rocked Leon's still body in his arms. He was covered in the blood of the still fighter.

Her scream shattered the deceptively calm atmosphere, bringing Cloud and Aeris through the door into the horrific scene. The full implications of what she had seen abruptly struck home to Tifa and she fell, in a faint, to the floor.

Cloud was immediately at her side and he held her close, eyes filled with helpless tears. Dimly he registered that Aeris had run from the house, screaming for a healer.

x x x

Aeris had taken in the scene at a glance, and while the others reacted in their own ways, she immediately recognized the urgent need for a healer. Her mind threw up a memory and she started running swiftly towards the edge of the forest, towards perhaps the only person who could help them, Eldai, the Diardhirrim priest and disciple of Starmarda.

Gasping for breath Aeris raced through the woods. Leon was depending on her and she knew that if the Diardhirrim did not arrive in time, the man that she felt so strongly for would be dead.

Dead. She could not comprehend it. That Leon, so full of life and youth not long ago, was now lying in limbo between life and death. Aeris now knew that she would never be with Leon but she also knew that she could not let him die. She still loved him dearly, and her heart ached for him.

Her lungs were bursting by the time she reached the forest's opposite edge but she forced herself to keep going. It was not far now to the old man's hut. Suddenly she pulled up short. There in front of her, sitting on a rock, was Eldai. Looking straight into her eyes he said, 'The one who is loved is dying. I have been waiting for you. We must go at once if I am to be of any aid.'

With an expression of wonder on her face, Aeris made as if to start off again down the path but the old man reached out a withered arm to stop her.

'We have no time to waste child.' He said. 'Take hold of my arm and do not let go for any reason. No matter what you see.'

Trembling a little, Aeris did as she was bid and everything went black. The forest did not fade around her; it went straight from being there, to being nothing. The black permeated her entire existence yet with her last, sorely tried, threads of sanity, she clung to the man as if to life itself. She felt a sensation of impossibly fast motion and colors exploded behind her eyes, wheeling and swirling disconcertingly.

After an indeterminate period of time Aeris felt her feet touch solid ground. It was only then that she realized that she had her eyes squeezed tightly shut. Opening them, she blinked in the sunlight and sucked in her breath with a gasp. They were now outside Leon's house, on the other side of the woods from Eldai's dwelling.

Shoving her astonishment and trepidation aside, Aeris followed the old man as he moved swiftly up the stairs and walked directly to Leon's bedroom. Seeing Sephiroth clutching Leon, Eldai coughed discreetly to announce his presence. This gained no response from the devastated mage, so Eldai stepped into the room of blood.


	10. Chapter 10

10. An Angel's Betrayal 

Eldai assessed the scene with practiced, clinical observation, but inside his mind reeled at the thought of one so young filled with such despair. The cuts into Leon's wrists were serious but the tear across his throat was so deep that it would take a journey to the land of the dead to have a chance at healing his wounds and bringing the warrior's spirit back to his body. It would take more than that however to cure the pain of the young man's soul.

Eldai grasped Sephiroth's shoulder to try to remove him from the room and this contact caused Sephiroth to swivel around and stare directly into Eldai's startled eyes. The knowing eyes of the Diardhirrim bored into the Assassin's core and Sephiroth knew that he had been recognized for what he was.

Sephiroth did not even try to hide what he could tell was revealed in his eyes. He just gazed at Eldai with such naked anguish in his face that it made the old man's blood run cold. In the gaze of Sephiroth, the One Winged Angel, Eldai could discern an expression of complete, soul-searing love for the man that lay motionless, cradled in his arms. The impassive indifference that had protected the Assassin through his series of callous murders was stripped away and Eldai could tell that the man would never be able to complete the mission of redemption set for him by The Angel. The One Winged Angel had perceived the diamond-star on Eldai's forehead that marked him as Diardhirrim but he knew that the healer was Leon's only hope and in that instant he made a silent vow to never kill another Diardhirrim or Starmardi again.

Eldai knelt in front of Sephiroth and took hold of his shoulders firmly. 'Listen,' he murmured. 'I have little time left in which to save this man's life. I have seen what you are . . . ', at this Sephiroth blanched, sure that the healer now beheld him with the loathing he deserved. But when he glanced up, to read the man's countenance, he saw compassion and something else, forgiveness.

' . . . And I know the horrors you have suffered.' Eldai continued. 'The Angel has held you in her clutches for too long and her control on you is beginning to slip; your love for this man is your salvation, not the cruel murders committed in the name of The Angel and the Assassin.'

By this point Sephiroth was staring at Eldai in wonder. No living human could possibly know so much and Sephiroth knew that the religion of Starmardi only masked a deep emptiness in the heavens, didn't it?

Still Eldai continued, 'The Angel is a threat to all human existence. I know her aims and I know of her deepest desires. I also know the secret that she will speak of to no one. She never told you that one of your next victims was the last Ancient, and that her death would bring the world to it's knees; in front of her.'

Sephiroth sat, staring blankly at nothing. His world had been shattered into shards at the old man's words, spoken with such assurance that they couldn't possibly be anything but true. The Angel, the one being he thought he could trust, the one he had relied on to define his very existence. She was the enemy. And Leon was his savior; this was the only thing holding his sanity intact.

The wise old healer waited silently while Sephiroth struggled to hold his world together and come to terms with the immense betrayal. After he had sat in silence for what seemed like an age, Eldai reached over and touched Sephiroth, formerly known as the Assassin, softly on the arm. 'We can wait no longer.' He said firmly. 'You must decide if you can live with the treachery of The Angel and be strong. Or you can give up on salvation and die a bitter death. But know this, if you choose death then you also choose death for Leon, for his life is linked to you through the love that you both feel.'

Sephiroth raised his head, Eldai's words finally penetrating his suffering. He no longer wished to live but Leon, Leon needed a chance and Sephiroth owed him at least that. After he knew Leon would be all right he would leave and die far from his love.

Eldai looked into Sephiroth's eyes and read in them a certainty that now one person knew of his past, all others would soon know, and Eldai could tell that this thought hurt almost as bad Leon's plight. He spoke without looking at Sephiroth, 'Your past is your own affair Angel. As long as you wish my silence, none shall know that the Assassin dwells among them. You shall have your chance at deliverance, there is but one thing that I shall ask of you. I ask that when the time of the Angel draws nigh, you come to me. No matter what may be occurring, no matter what you stand to lose.'

Sephiroth breathed a sigh of utmost relief. He would not have to leave the one person on the earth that he could love, with this reprieve he barely took in the healer's request. He nodded his head once, sealing the deal, although he did not know it. The look he turned on Eldai was a radiant grin that, with it's genuine feeling, caused the healer to return it with sincere affection. He was, perhaps, the only person to know the Assassin for what he was and accept him as a friend.




	11. Chapter 11

11. What Is and What Might Be 

Turning back to Leon, Sephiroth listened to Eldai's quiet instructions and bent his will to finding Leon's soul in the chaos of the nowhere-place between the world of the living and that of the dead. No mere mortal could have had even the slightest hope of finding a particular soul in the constantly shifting, distorted landscape that was limbo, but Sephiroth was not any mortal. He was the one human to be trained with the full knowledge of the arcane sorcery unique to The Angel and before he had left her sanctuary to find his salvation, he had actually surpassed his master in the practice of the dark arts although she was unaware of it.

Bending his powerful mind to his search for Leon, Sephiroth set his physical body down on the bed next to Leon's shell and cast his spirit into the distorted world of Between; the land of departed souls.

Ignoring the wails and groans of the forgotten souls left to decay in the Between, Sephiroth instead focused inward, on his fierce love for Leon, the dark haired warrior. He felt a strong tug on his heart that pulled him through the swirling mists toward the river that bordered Kalharoth, the land of the dead.

Moving faster, almost running, Sephiroth approached the Deadwaters, if Leon was close to the river then it also meant that he was close to walking in Kalharoth's shadows. Sephiroth had to reach the shade that once was, and could still be Leon while he was in the Between; for if he reached the river and stepped off the bank, there was no releasing him from the clutches of Kalharoth.

To most, the spirits that inhabited Between all looked indistinguishable from each other, but the second Sephiroth laid eyes on the lone shade next to the river, he recognized him as Leon; the love that connected them identified Leon as clearly as if he shouted his own name.

Sephiroth dashed to Leon's side and grabbed his arm. Leon had almost stepped into the Deadwaters, had nearly forfeited his last chance to return to life. That this was his fault tore at Sephiroth's heart. He could not let Leon die.

The soul of Leon turned to face Sephiroth and the fighter's pain-filled, brown eyes widened as he recognized the man who had arrested his steady progress into Kalharoth. He had not known that Sephiroth could pass across the boundaries between the living and the dead, and even if he had, he would not have guessed that Sephiroth would take the immense risk of a journey to Between to try to find him. Sephiroth was looking at Leon with such anguished love that the dark haired man's remaining bitterness evaporated, observing the true love revealed in Sephiroth's eyes and he embraced him, stroking his silver hair tenderly.

Sephiroth, now that he had found Leon, realized how long they had both lingered in the warped land of the not-quite-dead. Now the immediate crisis was past, he could feel he strength being steadily drained by the churning mist that surrounded him and Leon. Seizing Leon's arm again, he started racing as fast as he could towards the pale glow that was the mind of Eldai. For even though Sephiroth wielded the powers of The Angel, Eldai was in direct contact with the goddess Starmarda. He was the only one who could release them from the control of limbo.

Eldai was waiting for his first glimpse of the brightly shining soul that was Sephiroth and as soon as the two men reached him, he brought the infinite power of Starmardi to bear and the loose spirits burst though the dividing curtain and back into the realm of the living.

Sephiroth was the first to open his eyes and immediately he sat up and looked franticly over at Leon, lying next to him on the bed. The warrior was still lying motionless. Sephiroth crawled over to him and sat disconsolately holding Leon's head in his lap. It was then that he felt Leon's breath on his face and he realized that he was sleeping a healthy sleep and was no longer in the state between life and death.

Sephiroth felt as if a huge weight had fallen from his shoulders. He turned to Eldai to express his gratitude just in time to see the healer glow with an unearthly white light. The old man spoke in a voice that seemed to resonate from the furthest reaches of space and time.

'Your course is doomed to failure.' Said Eldai, or whatever power it was that possessed him. 'Give up on your vengeance on The Angel for she will bring about her own downfall in due time. Either path you choose will lead to salvation but one will bring the destruction of those you hold dear. This is the path that you have chosen as of yet.'

The ethereal light that surrounded Eldai expanded and Sephiroth suddenly found that he was engulfed in Starmarda's Light.

_He led Cloud, Tifa and Aeris down the shadowy dirt track. The last few weeks had been the happiest of his life, but they were getting close to The Angel's outer defenses. The creatures that she set to guard herself were magically transformed into perverse monstrosities consumed by berserk rage._

_As the intruders into the territory of The Angel moved closer to her labyrinth, the landscape grew more and more treacherous and the creatures grew more and more unpredictable and aggressive._

_He guided the group through the herds of monsters and perilous land, protecting them from the worst of The Angel's experiments and hiding them with his arcane sorcery from her watchful eyes. When a gang of winged humans with fangs and claws worthy of lions attacked the group, he guided them to a canyon that narrowed into an easily defendable dead-end surrounded by high cliffs. In this small makeshift fortress they beat back wave upon wave of monsters until the winged beasts gave up and withdrew, licking their wounds._

_With this view of the group and their trials Sephiroth became aware of the strange things happening inside of Cloud's head. The quiet fighter was hiding disturbing flashbacks from the rest of the group; flashbacks of a past with Sephiroth, or at least including him._

_Sephiroth well remembered the occasion that Cloud was only just recalling. It was during his service of the Empire Carna; during the brutal destruction of Alira, the White City._

_Back then Sephiroth was known as the One Winged Angel, and he was the key to the conquests of the Empire. His, then rudimentary, magic skills were more than powerful enough to satisfy the rulers of Carna and his exceptional fighting talents made him the commander of the Legion of Angels set to raze Alira to the ground._

_Most of Sephiroth's force had been killed in the initial assault to take the gate and outer wall when Sephiroth finally brought his magic into play. The losses were the price for bringing Sephiroth inside the walls, but it was worth the cost._

_Summoning the massive will power inside him, Sephiroth raised his arms and spread his massive single wing. With the tremendous outpouring of power, the very foundation stones of the city strained free of the mud in which they were embedded, and soared into the sky. With the base of the city torn loose, the houses and walls that held the city together crumbled and fell, slaying thousands in their homes and obliterating the once proud capital._

_What Sephiroth had not been aware of at the time was that someone from Outside watched the devastation visited by him, the evil angel of death, and that this someone was Cloud, watching the unspeakable acts from the future._

_Instead of the vision following the rest of the city's collapse, Sephiroth's consciousness sped through time and space to pursue Cloud. When he caught up with the blond man, he saw that Cloud was one of the few people able to turn his visions of the past and future into reality and that this vision had wounded him badly._

_A massive falling chunk of battlement had fallen on a strange angle and had crushed Cloud's left hand. That it was his fault tortured Sephiroth and he saw in his mind the stiff claw that Cloud now sported instead of his left hand. He dragged his concentration back to Cloud's spirit just in time to see Eldai pick up Cloud's body and carry it painstakingly to a recent rockslide under a cliff, just inside the forest._

_Sephiroth saw the complex series of spells Eldai set in Cloud's mind and also saw the care and love in the way they were laid. There was more to Eldai that met the eye and Sephiroth was sure of a close kinship with Cloud._

_Once Eldai was done with the powerful magic he had just woven, he covered Cloud's useless hand in rocks and sat down, head bowed, by his unconscious body. After a few minutes he lifted his head and looked directly at Sephiroth._

_The expression on his drawn face was one of deep sorrow and he spoke aloud, as if to himself. 'These blocks of the mind will not last forever and Cloud will eventually recall all that which he has seen. But he will not judge you harshly if you reveal your past deeds voluntarily. However hard it may be, remember the future that may still come to be if you continue to hide behind falsehoods.'_

_With those chilling words echoing in his brain, Sephiroth was sent hurtling further into the future._

_The group of friends was standing next to the broken form of The Angel, and Cloud was standing face to face with Sephiroth. Even though he could not hear the words, Sephiroth could tell that the dam in Cloud's mind had broken loose and that Cloud was ready to kill Sephiroth's future self for the betrayal of trust._

_What happened next seemed to happen in slow motion. In a fit of wild rage Cloud pulled out his sword and sent the point hissing through the air towards Sephiroth's heart._

_Seeing the movement, Leon had thrown his body across Sephiroth's, in a desperate bid to save his life. The thick blade of Cloud's sword drove deep into Leon's chest, piercing his heart and ending his life in one heart stopping instant. The dark haired man fell awkwardly onto Sephiroth, dragging him down to the ground._

_Seeing himself embracing Leon's dead body and watching Cloud draw back his sword again to end his life for good, Sephiroth resolved to do all within his power to stop the tragic future from coming to pass. Cloud had a right to know the truth and there was no way he could knowingly let Leon be killed._

His eyes flew open again and he turned to gape at Eldai, a true priest of Starmardi. The man had shown him the way his life could lead and gave him the necessary knowledge to change it. Bowing his head in silent gratitude Sephiroth thanked the man for a chance at a future with the one he truly loved.




	12. Chapter 12

12. Devine Hope and Treachery 

Leon finally opened his eyes late that night, and Sephiroth was the first one he saw. Smiling up at the beautiful man, Leon suddenly remembered what had just happened and why. Closing his eyes again he turned away from Sephiroth's loving smile.

Sephiroth knew that this time would come; he knew that he would eventually have to explain his actions to the man that he loved. But knowing it did not make it any easier. He reached hesitantly for Leon's arm, unsure of how to begin.

Leon cut him off before he could start. The fighter had had too much heartbreak in his past and he could not handle the pain of another rejection. 'Sephiroth.' He said harshly. 'Just go. I don't need your pity. I need your love, which I know I haven't got. If you have come to ask why or give me false sympathy, don't bother, because I'm telling you why right now!'

'It was you Sephiroth!' Leon shouted releasing his deep pain. 'All you! Now get out and leave me alone. I wish I was dead!'

Tears filled Sephiroth's eyes. He had guessed at the reason for Leon's attempted suicide, but had just now had it confirmed. It was all his fault. Even through the haze of tears that now shrouded his vision, he still pressed on with his attempt to tell Leon the truth.

'Leon, listen to me!' he finally cried. 'I know that you must hate me right now but at least wait to hear my story and then pass your judgment, whatever that may be! I have to explain what I have done and the reasons behind my actions. So wait until the end before condemning me.'

The impassioned plea reached to Leon's heart even through the fog of anger that enveloped him and he sat silently facing Sephiroth, his eyes on the floor, wondering what in the man's past could possibly disturb him so much.

x x x

Sephiroth took a deep steadying breath and with strong misgivings commenced his tale that reached over the ages, back to the First Age of the Empire Carna.

'It began when my mother was chosen for the Legion of Angels.' He said quietly. 'Her fame as a mage stretched the length and breadth of the world. All I wanted from childhood was to live up to her legend and follow in her footsteps. She was Jenova but became the one known as Nadine Deva, the divine hope. Her presence and calming magic first brought hope and peace to the warring nations of our world over two thousand years ago. Then she was slain in treachery by one who's identity is now lost to time.

When my mother was alive and directed the Legion's actions, all that the Legion of Angels sought after was peace and tranquility for those who inhabited their world. But after her death that all changed. The Legion was brought under the control of one who called herself The Angel.'

Looking up at Leon, Sephiroth took a deep breath and fought for the control to continue with his tale of times long past and seeing nothing in Leon's eyes but absorption and a hint of the love that had so recently been apparent, he found the strength to resume his story.

'When my mother was killed, I had already risen high in the ranks of the Angels and was on my way to realizing my dream of becoming the most revered mage on the planet. But when she came to power The Angel demanded that those already in service to the Legion join with her cause under threat of death and I, being the arrogant fool that I was, thought that nothing would change, that the death threat was just a hollow warning. I was so wrong.

Her 'cause' was nothing but a vendetta against the Starmardi, those who dared worship another goddess than her and she had vowed to cleanse the world of the Starmardi religion and the leaders of the faith, the Diardhirrim priests. We never laid eyes on The Angel, yet she controlled us. I can now look past the fog she cast over our minds to make us follow her, and see her madness for myself.'

'Cloud has been seeing visions of this past, Leon.' Sephiroth said softly. 'Soon he will know everything of my past and the unspeakable deeds I took part in, in the name of the honored Legion of Angels. I must tell him of my duplicity. But there is something else that I must tell you, and the others too before I am drawn too deep into deceit and bring about the death of the one I love. Please do not hate me for what I am about to say'

Moving over to the small window, Sephiroth drew in an unsteady breath. 'Leon,' he murmured heartbrokenly. 'I am the Assassin.'

2


	13. Chapter 13

13. A Dark Angel's Love 

The bottom dropped out of Leon's reality and screaming without sound, he fell into an endless sea of despair. How could the man that he loved be the evil Assassin that had stalked him and his friends for so long? How could this new betrayal come so soon after the last wound to his heart?

Staring blankly through Sephiroth he made no effort to wipe away the tears that streamed down his face and he was oblivious to all of Sephiroth's attempts to ease the devastation that he felt through every inch of his body. He only reacted when the stricken Angel desolately turned to walk out of the door.

'Sephiroth.'

The word came out of his mouth in a low guttural exhalation of breath. 'Sephiroth please don't leave me here alone. I need to know why you would do this, why you would toy with my love like I don't matter to you at all. Did you ever love me?'

Confronted with this stark, hopeless question, Sephiroth's eyes filled with tears. That Leon could doubt the emotion he had so recently felt in Sephiroth bespoke his utter loss of faith in his own heart.

Almost in a whisper Sephiroth answered, 'Yes Leon, I did love you and I do. This love fills my heart, fills my soul and my whole existence. I can no more live without you then I could live without drawing breath. You are my life now. You hold my heart in your hands. When I began to search for you in the realm of Between, I realized that The Angel's blind hatred had taken over my own emotions and I vowed to never again take the life of the innocent Diardhirrim. I am no longer the Assassin.'

Leon's own heart leaped as he heard those words. The emotion in them was apparent and he could sense the sincerity in the silver haired mage. Sephiroth's feelings were clear in his eyes and his heart lay exposed before Leon, he had bared his entire soul.

Without another word Leon threw himself at Sephiroth, knocking him backwards into the door pushing it shut. Before the taller man could think, he gathered Leon tightly in his arms and pulled him in close for a hard kiss. Responding violently Sephiroth grasped the back of Leon's head, holding him firmly to him and digging his hands deeply into the man's wealth of long chestnut hair.

Leon's hands blazed trails of fire down the other man's back, and he copied Sephiroth's action from back in the forest, placing his hands on his butt and bringing both their bodies hard up against each other. He could perceive Sephiroth's burning desire and feel his hard hot cock pressing into his hip.

Sephiroth groaned as Leon broke their embrace and suddenly knelt down, expertly undoing Sephiroth's tight leather pants. With the overwhelming sensations coursing through him, he could not help letting go a moan of exquisite pleasure when he felt Leon's warm, wet mouth enclose the tip of his cock.

Leon first teased the tip of Sephiroth's cock gently with his teeth and tongue before sliding the tip of his tongue down the underside of the long shaft. Covering it with tender kisses, he moved excruciatingly slowly around the base and found the hard ridge on the underside, rubbing it rapidly with his tongue, drawing gasps of ecstasy from Sephiroth.

Still moving agonizingly slowly, Leon nibbled his way back up the length of Sephiroth's manhood once he reached the tip, Leon took it deep inside his mouth and pulled back slowly, creating a strong suction that seemed to draw unbearable pleasure from his very core.

Finally, unable to contain his hunger any longer, Leon stood up and, stripping off his own clothes, he grabbed Sephiroth's trembling hand and led him to the bed. He sank back onto the soft bed, ignoring the semi-dried blood and pulled Sephiroth down with him.

He clasped smoothly muscled man close to him and found his lips with his incessant mouth. He used his tongue to gently part Sephiroth's lips and delicately explored his mouth. He let his tongue run around the inside Sephiroth's mouth as lightly as a breath of wind and finally just as Sephiroth felt he could bear the tender caresses no longer, Leon kissed him firmly, holding his head and running his hands through his hair.

By this time Sephiroth was going crazy with lust for the passionate, dark fighter and sensing this, Leon pushed him gently over onto his stomach, caressing his back from his shoulders to his tightly muscled butt.

He raised two fingers to his lips and wetted them on his tongue before dragging them again down Sephiroth's trembling back and yet still further down. He ran the tip of his finger around the entrance and as Sephiroth tensed in eagerness, gently inserted his finger.

Probing the tight entrance, he slowly, ever so slowly, moved his finger past the tense ring of muscle and when Sephiroth writhed in pleasure, joined it with a second finger. Sephiroth stiffened at the added size but was soon panting, as waves of pleasure and desire swept over him, again and again. Hearing the muffled moans of ecstasy beneath him, Leon's slate blue, intense eyes became hooded and he pressed the head of his cock against Sephiroth's opening.

Sephiroth's hands clenched in the sheets and he groaned into the pillow, 'Oh god Leon, I want you to fuck me. I want you to be deep inside me. Please . . . Now . . .' And as Leon swiftly thrust deep into him he tensed and whimpered softly at the exquisite agony. He knew that it would soon be over but oh god it hurt.

Suddenly his whole body jerked in a spasm of pure pleasure as Leon hit a spot hidden deep inside his body. He gasped aloud and ground backwards into Leon, 'Fuck me, oh gods Leon, fuck me hard!'

Leon's breath hissed out and he felt his cock become fully sheathed within Sephiroth. Drawing out almost all the way, he plunged back in, making the silver haired man cry with rapture. He pounded into Sephiroth again and again, feeling his excitement grow with each thrust.

Sephiroth grunted as another spasm shook him and in the exquisite moment, felt his wing burst from his shoulder, narrowly missing Leon, but showering them both with jet-black feathers.

Sephiroth's eyes shot open and his mouth opened soundlessly as he felt Leon's delicate fingers stroke down the seam where his wing met his shoulder. His back arched with orgasmic pleasure like none he had ever felt before. Of all his lovers over the long years, no one had ever thought to touch his wing in this way; Leon was the first to elicit the delicious feelings that flowed through his whole body.

Leon felt Sephiroth clench around his cock and immediately sped up his thrusts, becoming closer and closer to ecstasy. He reached a hand round in front of Sephiroth and wrapped his hand around his dripping shaft, pumping it in time to his thrusts.

Sephiroth moaned faintly giving in to the sensations that coursed through him wracking his body with indescribable pleasure. He felt Leon abandon all semblances of restraint and pound into him, also losing himself in ecstasy.

They came together almost screaming their pleasure and Leon collapsed on top of Sephiroth panting and spent. It seemed like he had waited so long for this moment, yet when it finally came, it surpassed all his wildest fantasies. At that moment he knew beyond a doubt that Sephiroth was the one he was destined for and smiling at this fantastic realization, he hugged the silver haired mage tightly to him. He would never let him go.

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	14. Chapter 14

14. Confrontation 

Tifa watched Cloud as he winced at the sounds coming from Leon's bedroom upstairs. They had decided to stay at his house so that they were close by if anything happened.

Cloud however was not his usual self and he seemed consumed by a dark mood, sitting on the sofa bed, head in his hands, staring into space. The fact that Leon and Sephiroth were now together seemed to have impacted him in some indefinable, yet powerful way.

Tifa hesitantly put her arms around Cloud, breaking him out of the dark thoughts that were chasing through his head. 'Cloud,' she murmured in his ear. 'Please tell me what's wrong, I want to be able to help you but I can't if I don't know what the matter is.'

Turning and looking at her, Cloud's eyes seemed to come back into focus and he quickly mumbled some almost incoherent reply. Far from satisfied, Tifa dropped the subject, although she noticed the tension growing in his face as the sounds of Leon and Sephiroth's lovemaking got louder and louder.

Suddenly, like an explosion in her brain, she realized what the problem was. She had seen the hostility in his face as he looked at Sephiroth and the look of longing that involuntarily crossed his face when he caught sight of Leon. Cloud was in love with Leon she thought hopelessly and deep inside her a part of her spirit died. She knew that Cloud was fond of her and that he even felt deep affection for her, but his heart was not hers. This knowledge did nothing to dim her love for the golden haired man, but inside her she felt a small yet significant part of her soul wither and die. Turning out the light, she lay down on her side and wept under her breath so that Cloud could not hear her until she fell into a troubled sleep.

_Tifa gazed down over the still landscape feeling completely at peace. The ache of Cloud's unintentional betrayal was nothing but a distant memory and she was content to just drift in the slight breezes that wafted around her, as she floated high in the clouds._

_Her perspective suddenly changed and she went hurtling down through the clouds and was abruptly face to face with a pensive Cloud. Shocked by the rapid turn of her dream, Tifa stood and waited, aware that Cloud could not see her and would not be able to hear her even if she tried to speak._

_She studied his beautiful face and comprehended with a jolt that it was more lined then she remembered and his whole demeanor spoke of many harsh years; this was no dream, but a vision of the future!_

_Swiftly the dream changed again and she felt a shock run through her as her consciousness merged with that of Cloud's. Together they flew through blackness until they emerged from the dark into a chaotic scene._

_Tifa looked about her and immediately focused on the massive city off to her right. It was a tremendous structure that filled the horizon as far as the eye could see and she stared in wonder at the spectacle._

_As she gathered her wits, out of the corner of her eye, she saw something that made her blood run cold. Striding rapidly across the plain, surrounded in a billowing fog of blackness, was Sephiroth. But it was not the Sephiroth she knew. This Sephiroth exuded an aura of almost visible evil and his eyes glowed with an unholy light._

_Tifa screamed without sound as the malevolent figure of Sephiroth raised his arms, calling his colossal magic to bear, and a huge black wing burst from his back, emphasizing the unearthly forces that answered his call. At his command the very foundation stones of the beautiful city rose from their resting places of a thousand years, rocketing into the air. Tifa heard the shrieks of the innocent people trapped within the disintegrating city and could not hold back the tears that streamed down her cheeks. How could the man that they had accepted into their lives without reservation be capable of such immense evil?_

_Just as Tifa felt that she could no longer take the screams of the dying, her consciousness was torn from inside Cloud and she felt herself again flashing through the years. This time when her vision cleared she was standing next to Sephiroth as he stood by the window in Leon's room head bowed, only hours earlier._

_The sounds of their conversation slowly filtered into Tifa's awareness and she leaned weakly against the wall, stunned by more revelations. She had materialized just in time to hear Sephiroth utter the words, 'I am the Assassin.'_

Tifa wrenched her eyes open and stared blindly into the dark hugging her arms tightly around herself. Her body was drenched in sweat and her cheeks were stained with tears from the traumatic visions that had just over-taken her mind.

Rolling quietly from the foldout couch Tifa stole out of the lounge and up the stairs, to Leon's silent bedroom. Pushing open the door Tifa made her way over to the bed and placed her hand on the mass of silver hair shining brilliantly in the moonlight.

As Sephiroth started awake, Tifa placed her hand over his mouth to stop him crying out and motioned for him to follow her out of the room and down the stairs. She led him out of the house and into the outskirts of the woods.

As soon as they were out of sight of Leon's house and concealed in the trees Tifa turned to Sephiroth with a stony glare on her face. Looking him straight in his jade eyes, she said quietly, 'And when were we to know of your past Sephiroth. You could have killed us many times, why have you let us live after hunting us for so long?'

Sephiroth did not waste time wondering how this slight woman could know of the terrible secrets he kept from her and the ones she loved, it was enough that she knew and he could tell that she was seconds from running back into the house to reveal everything she knew.

Sephiroth took a deep breath and returned Tifa's stare. 'Tifa,' he said quietly. 'I have hidden my past from you but will you let me explain myself to everyone? Please go to bed and tomorrow I will expose my sins, though it may condemn me.'

Expose his sins, Tifa thought. What a strange way to put it. Aloud she said, 'What if we awake in the morning and you are nowhere to be found? Or what if we open our eyes on the land of Kalharoth? How can I trust that you will let us live knowing your secrets?'

Sephiroth nodded his head despondently. 'I know that you have no reason to trust me, but I give you my word, if that means anything, that I will be here and accountable tomorrow morning. I swear on my love for Leon.'

He had added the last vow in desperation, but the sudden flash of compassion that passed over Tifa's face told him he had hit home. Nodding her head she spoke coldly and dispassionately, 'I trust your word Sephiroth. I know that you are a powerful magus and that you could have enchanted us at any time. Your magic could have charmed us and led us like lambs to your slaughter, yet you did not. You did not even attempt to bewitch our emotions, for I would have sensed it if you had. I shall trust you and your promise. In the morning however we shall have a reckoning.'

Sephiroth did not even bother to keep the tears inside him and they poured down his face unrestrainedly. The hatred that he had so dreaded showed clearly in Tifa's voice and in the harsh expression on her usually beautiful and serene face. If one as accepting as Tifa would condemn him, how would the other two react to his sins?

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	15. Chapter 15

15. Goddess's Light 

After Tifa returned to Leon's house, looking over her shoulder at every step, Sephiroth's knees gave way and he sank to the ground next to a tree, his body wracked with sobs.

The deeds in his past, the people he had slain in cold blood, they were all coming back to haunt him. These people would never accept him back into their midst, they would never again treat him with same easy warmth. His sobs redoubled their strength and he huddled against the tree, alone. The dark seemed to press in on him like a living thing and he scrambled to his feet and fled further into the forest.

His promise to Tifa forgotten, Sephiroth ran blindly into the dark. All he could think about was the hatred he saw in Tifa's eyes and how the combined hostility of the group would make any love for Leon impossible.

Leon, oh god, Leon. Sephiroth closed his eyes in agony. Just as he had found the love of his life he would be made to leave him. He could not ask Leon to go with him when he left, he could not ask the beautiful warrior to leave the only friends he had left. These people who would soon vilify him were the only thing even close to family that Leon knew and Sephiroth would never ask him to choose. He would be better to leave straight away.

Reaching this conclusion, Sephiroth slowed his frantic pace. Glancing around him, he realized how far he had run into the woods. He could see no familiar landmarks and worse, he had no idea which direction he had come from.

He whirled around and, picking a direction at random, started to lope back into the dense woods, when he caught a glimpse of something bizarre out of the corner of his eye.

Turning to face the strange sight fully, Sephiroth pulled up short and stared in disbelief. Sitting on the ground in front of him was Eldai, and the thing that had caught Sephiroth's eye was the diamond-star on his forehead; it was glowing with the same ethereal light that had surrounded Eldai the last time Sephiroth had seen him.

Dropping to his knees in front of the unassuming healer, Sephiroth gazed at the man in awe. The last time Eldai had glowed like this was when he was channeling the voice of the One Goddess Starmarda.

Again Eldai's voice took on a strange timbre, his eyes seemingly looking through Sephiroth at something otherworldly behind him. 'Your promise binds you Sephiroth.' said the strange man. 'You still crave redemption and it is still within your grasp. Listen to the voiceless words that play inside your head, the words that make you who and what you are. The promise made to Tifa was a vow on your love for Leon and that which you are will not let you betray an oath made on that love. The light of Starmarda will guide your steps back to the house; follow it and find your salvation. Or you can run and forever wander alone in the darkness.'

Eldai pointed to something behind Sephiroth and the tall silver haired man instinctively turned to see what it was and sucked in his breath in wonderment. Leading off into the dense woods was an iridescent ribbon of the same divine light that encased Eldai.

Remembering suddenly how the priest had helped him Sephiroth turned back to the old man to try to express the gratitude he felt in his heart; but as he turned around he realized that the only light came from the luminous ribbon that wound its way into the trees. The old man had gone, as mysteriously as he had come.

Sephiroth shook his head and turned again towards the band of light that cut through the darkness and led back to Leon's house and the one he loved. The dark, despairing mood that had taken hold of him after his meeting with Tifa lifted slightly as he followed the Goddess's light of hope toward his time of judgment.

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	16. Chapter 16

16. Truth of the Assassin 

Sephiroth ran through the forest as dawn kissed the eastern sky, tingeing the wispy clouds a glowing pink. Sunlight was glittering, diamond-like off of the dew on the tree leaves as Sephiroth finally reached the forest edge. He decided against entering at the front door, instead going around the back to where a fence marked the boundary of the forest and Leon's backyard, joining the house right under Leon's bedroom window.

Climbing easily up the fence, Sephiroth soundlessly slid open the window and slipped under the covers of Leon's bed. The frenzied emotions of the night at last caught up with him and he slid into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Unfortunately he and Leon were woken a few minutes later when Tifa hammered on their door, demanding that they get up at once and meet her and the others in the lounge downstairs. Sephiroth groaned inwardly; he had hoped that Tifa would let him bring up the subject of their talk at his own pace but apparently she was leaving him no chance to back out.

Avoiding Leon's eyes, Sephiroth quickly swung himself out of bed and pulled on his worn leather pants. Even though Leon knew about Sephiroth's past and the lies he had told, Sephiroth still could not bring himself to believe that the coffee haired man with steely blue-gray eyes had completely forgiven him for the huge betrayal.

He stiffened as Leon softly touched his bare back but the tension slowly eased when Leon began to massage his rigid shoulders. With this gesture of support and the soft words Leon was whispering in his ear, Sephiroth finally realized that the depth of the fighter's love for him matched his own. Turning, he gathered the man in his arms, crushing him to his tanned chest. There was no way he could lose this man; no way he could lose the right to gaze into his sapphire blue eyes and touch his perfect face. He could not stand to lose the privilege of returning the love he could see in Leon's every movement, every gesture.

Before Leon could see the anguish in his face, Sephiroth let him go and busied himself with lacing up his black knee-high boots. He would not allow Leon to take on the burden of his sins. If he was to face the vilification of Leon's friends, at least he could spare Leon the worry that plagued him.

Making his way slowly down the stairs after Leon, Sephiroth considered what he would say. There was nothing he could say to convince them to absolve him of blame for his actions, and indeed he did not want to be told that he was 'just an innocent victim'. Even though the Angel had commanded him, he had still acted of his own free will.

He woke from his thoughts to see he had reached the bottom of the stairs and that everyone was seated in the large lounge. All eyes were on him, waiting to hear what it was that Tifa had thought it necessary to call a silent council for.

Sephiroth did not bother to take a seat, just standing by the foot of the stairs, clinging to the banister for support. He felt Leon come forward and stand beside him, silently offering encouragement and in this simple gesture found the necessary willpower to start his tale.

'You have welcomed me into your lives,' he said, not looking up. 'You have never done me ill or been anything but friends to me; yet I have betrayed your trust; all along I have not been what you though I was.'

At this statement Cloud and Aeris looked at each other; what could the beautiful mage be talking about? Cloud, then looking at Tifa, saw in her face that she was fully aware of the information that Sephiroth was about to impart. He raised an eyebrow to himself, why hadn't she told him of this before? Both he and Aeris looked back over at Sephiroth as he cleared his throat and resumed his tortuous revelations of the sadistic acts that littered his past.

'My story begins deep in the past, for I am older then you can imagine.' said Sephiroth grimly. 'I was named Sephiroth Son of Dragons before the time of Nadine Deva and the Legion of Angels. The Angel known as Nadine Deva was my mother.

I was born on a far world, millions of miles from here but though my mother and I dwelt peacefully there for centuries, in a peaceful forest, eventually war came into our world. The tranquil planet that we lived on became fraught with conflict, the forests being stripped for fuel and the whole planet despoiled in the obsession of conquest.

When I was very young I think I had a sister, but when war visited its horrors on us, she left us to fight as a mercenary alongside the invaders. It broke my mother's heart though she never said so; I guess she died in the long years of battle that consumed our home.'

Here Sephiroth paused and looked around at the stunned expressions on the faces of the group. They were absorbed in the dramatic story he had to tell and had obviously recognized the name of Nadine Deva, but how would they react to the appalling things still to be revealed.

'Jenova was a powerful mage even then and she wrought great magic that tore a hole in the fabric of space itself, to save us from the war-torn planet of S'Arqui. She transported us through the nothing between the stars and eventually brought us to this world, the world of Echoa.

When we arrived here all we wanted was to live out our lives in peace, but not long after we settled here, the Legion of Angels came to my mother and selected her for their ranks. She was the strongest sorceress ever to walk the face of your world.

Under her influence the Legion was a force for great good, you will all know of the peace that settled over Echoa for a thousand years; all I ever wanted was to follow in her footsteps. I was the youngest mage to ever join with the Angels and with my inherent powers from my mother I rose swiftly through the ranks of the Angels.

The Legion of Angels did wonderful things for this planet, but this all changed when my mother was slain in treachery, five hundred years ago.'

Without exception, everyone in the room was stunned at this short statement. The Legion of Angels was a legend that was almost myth to most of those who inhabited Echoa but now the four in the room knew for certain that the assembly of elite magicians did exist. They also now knew that Nadine Deva, sometimes called the Light of Hope was dead and at this revelation they were speechless. No one living was aware that another led the Angels.

Sephiroth gave them a few moments to get over their shock; he could understand their disbelief. Nadine Deva was a heroine of mythic proportions and the news that she was dead was stunning and saddening. When the others turned their eyes back to him, they were filled with wonderment. Heartened by this, Sephiroth returned once more to his story.

'When Nadine Deva was slain, an outsider came to the fore and took control of the directionless Legion.' Sephiroth said with a hint of grim controlled fury in his tone. 'She called herself The Angel and within the space of a week she had bound half the Angels to her by oath and had banished the others to the island in the middle of the eternal sea. Those of us who stayed were under the control of her subtle mind-manipulations though it does not excuse what we did for this monster.

The Angel put us firmly under her control and then set us to fight for the Empire Carna. Unbeknownst to us, she was the Empress of the Empire and even the whole of Carna was only a front to cover her ultimate purpose. Her aim was to wipe out the whole religion of Starmardi, including the race of the Diardhirrim, priests of Starmarda.

The White City of Alira was a Starmardi stronghold. You will all know of the White City; but what you will not have known was that it was destroyed by The One Winged Angel, me. The Legion was used as bodyguards to die for me until I got close enough to weave my spells of destruction and bring down the city.'

At this confession, Sephiroth bowed his head refusing to look the others in the eyes. ' I was not aware that the city was Starmardi, but I can not say for sure that I would have resisted The Angel's orders, so great was her hold over me.

After Alira fell, The Angel had no more use for the Empire so she staged the death of 'the Empress' and took the remains of the Legion under her instruction to stamp out the enduring communities of Starmardi. I was the only Angel left from the destruction of Alira.'

Pausing again Sephiroth took a deep breath; he had reached the moment that he must reveal the most horrific secret of all. Lifting his head, he looked each person in the eyes before sighing miserably. 'I was taken by the Angel and trained in stealth and sorcery; as her Assassin.'

x x x

Aeris had been listening speechlessly to this unfolding tale of bloodshed and terror, her fears growing with every passing second and when Sephiroth told them of the killing of the Starmardi her suspicions burst fully into her mind. Sephiroth's words only confirmed what she had realized; he was the Assassin. The one who had slain the children so beloved to her and who had almost taken her life as well.

Sephiroth knew he would see shock and betrayal on the faces of those before him, but he was completely unprepared for the loathing and abject terror he saw in Aeris' face; much of his time as the Assassin was a blur of dead faces and mangled bodies, but he suddenly recalled the children he had so callously killed, the children he killed to get to Aeris. Uttering a strangled sob, his knees gave way and he sank to the floor cradling his head in his hands.

Aeris stood in the middle of the lounge, all blood draining from her face. She had been living under the same roof as the Assassin. She let out a high-pitched moan and suddenly dashed from the house, leaving her stunned friends staring at the devastated Sephiroth.

Aeris ran without direction, her rose-pink dress flying out behind her as she sped into the forest. Tears flowed furiously down her face as she unconsciously angled her direction toward the secret pool near the home of her dead children.

She stumbled past the burnt out ruin of her last home and skittered down the gravel path to the small clearing. Losing her footing on the loose gravel she fell and slid down the rest of the hill ending up bruised and bleeding by the edge of the water.

Aeris was in her own hell, trust betrayed and consumed with pain and she lay in the position that she landed, her body heaving and lungs straining for air. She was totally lost in the black depression that filled her soul. So overwhelmed was she with grief and disbelief, that she failed to hear the sound of someone sneaking carefully down the stony path until they clapped a calloused hand roughly over her mouth and jerked her to her feet. She was spun round and suddenly Aeris was staring into the almost black, maddened eyes of a monster out of a nightmare.

The creature that had hold of Aeris was a deformed blend of human and animal. Its teeth were the length of fangs and its body was covered with insect-like, reddish-brown armor; the hands that held Aeris were a bizarre mix of claws, human hands and insect legs.

This horrific sight drove Aeris over the brink of sanity and she passed out of consciousness. The insane creature threw her over its shoulder and with a whistled signal to its patrol, out of sight up the hill, strode out of the calm glen. It marched through the woods, eventually rejoining its troop, which in turn merged with the main force. This battalion spread through the forest, trampling down everything in its path.

_The eye of observation drew back, revealing the full spread of the army. The soldiers extended from the Calm Waters all the way across the landscape to the Border Mountains; an army ten thousand strong. In the midst of the marching soldiers, floating on a cloud of darkness, was The Angel. Now that her Assassin had failed her, she would have to extend her might under her own command, to bring the world to its knees in front of her._

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	17. Chapter 17

17. Pure Soul

Cloud sat on the edge of the sofa staring into space; Sephiroth, the Assassin? He was stunned by this completely unexpected revelation. Cloud had dismissed his initial reservations about the silver haired stranger with the scare about Leon and the subsequent events, which had driven the doubts from his mind. He was disgusted with himself for it was his job to protect his friends. How could he have failed them so drastically?

He turned, hearing footsteps behind him and his icy blue eyes narrowed as they focused on Leon. 'What do you want Leonheart?' he said coldly. 'You are as guilty as the Assassin.'

Leon flinched at the harsh words, but held his ground and met Clouds furious eyes calmly. 'Strife, listen to me.' he said forcefully. 'Sephiroth is no longer the Assassin, and he is dying inside for what he has done. All you have to do is look at him to see his shame. How can you blindly hate him? He truly regrets what he has done.'

Cloud stared at Leon shocked by his outburst. Suddenly he realized the reason for Leon's fiery plea, he was in love with the Assassin; and looking at the huddled figure of Sephiroth he concluded that the mage was also in love with the passionate fighter. He could tell Leon believed his own words and for that reason, stopped the scathing reply that formed on his lips; instead he walked over and crouched down next to Sephiroth.

Laying his hand on the man's shuddering back, Cloud looked at him uncertain of what to say next. 'Sephiroth,' he whispered. 'I want to believe you; I want to be able to believe that you are no longer a killer. I want Tifa to sound your soul, if you will consent. I wish to know your heart.'

Sephiroth's head snapped up, this was in no way what he expected to hear. Staring up at Cloud with eyes filled with hope, he nodded his head once. 'I will do this Cloud, not to satisfy your personal doubts, but to show you all that I am not what I once was. I love Leon, but I could not dwell with him, in your company knowing of your hatred.' he said with dignity.

Cloud turned away without acknowledging the statement and strode over to Tifa. 'My love, will you bring your magic to bear?' he asked. 'Will you sound this man's soul to tell us his heart?'

Tifa turned her achingly beautiful eyes on Cloud and without a word went over to Sephiroth. She silently helped him up and bade him lie on the couch in preparation for the spell. Once he was comfortable she made him close his eyes and laid a pale hand on his forehead. Sephiroth's breathing slowed and when she was certain he was under her spell, Tifa stood up, raising her hand into the air.

As Tifa drew her hand up through the air, a shining silver Sephiroth burst through the sleeping man's forehead to stand before the three in the lounge. The soul of Sephiroth moved into the center of the room and stood, awaiting Tifa's bidding.

Cloud found he could not take his eyes off the apparition that floated before him; he dimly heard Tifa command the shade but was only aware of the melodious voice that flowed from the lips of the spirit.

'I am that which is Sephiroth.' it said. 'I am that which was the Assassin. My life as a murderer is in the past now, for I have found another path of redemption, one that is true. My feelings for The One Who Is Loved command me more forcefully than the orders of The Angel ever did. Leon is my life, my heart, and I would die for him; and through his love for you I would now give my life and any hope of salvation to save any one of you. You must believe me for I am the purity, the light inside the darkness that is Sephiroth the One Winged Angel and I hold sway over the blackness. He that once was a brutal killer of innocents is no more. The Assassin is dead. What you see in front of you is once more Sephiroth, no longer the Dark Angel. I am at peace.'

With that final utterance, the soul of Sephiroth sank back into his body and an instant later Sephiroth opened his vivid jade-green eyes and gazed into Cloud's face. Cloud returned his stare evenly and suddenly reached down, pulling the mage to his feet. Tears in his eyes he gripped the Angel in a tight hug that spoke of his sorrow and his forgiveness. Whispering in Sephiroth's ear Cloud said, 'I too would die for you Sephiroth, the One Winged Angel.'

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	18. Chapter 18

18. Capture

_Kess screamed and Aeris ran toward the heartrending sound. She had to protect the children in her care! Racing through the dense woods she again heard the scream and ran even faster, her lungs bursting. She dashed into the clearing that housed her shelter and jerked to a stop, her hands flying to her mouth to stifle a scream of horror._

_The once beautiful clearing was a place of terrible carnage, splattered with blood and reeking of death. The trees dripped blood and every blade of grass was drenched in vivid red._

_Standing in the midst of the slaughter, holding a small child by the throat was a tall figure. It turned slightly towards Aeris and she could not suppress the moan of utter terror that forced itself between her lips. The bringer of this butchery was the unstoppable killer known as the Assassin._

_He turned to face her fully on hearing her groan and his shadowed green eyes, the only feature visible from inside his large hood, met her blue ones. Dropping the motionless child, he strode towards her, as inexorable as an avalanche. As he stalked closer and closer, he reached into his billowing cloak and withdrew an immense battle-sword. The half-light glinted off the slick edge as he pulled back his arm smoothly for a killing blow._

A hard slap to her face jerked Aeris out of dreams full of screams and blood. She gasped at the sting and reflexively tried to raise her hands to her throbbing cheek. It was then that she realized that her hands were bound behind her and she was standing tied to a tree in the middle of a campsite. Looking around at her surroundings she hitched in a breath, too shocked to scream.

The camp was the same as any other army camp, except for one horrifying difference. The majority of soldiers going about their various tasks were not human; they were not even animals. They were all the same type of creature that had captured Aeris, the same kind of crazy blend of man, animal and insect. The degree of deformity differed, as did each creature's exact blend of characteristics but all Aeris could see was the misshapen horrors that surrounded her. She drew in another hitching breath but this time managed to release it in a piercing scream that brought an enemy commander running.

Aeris stared at the commander eyes wild with terror but then when her eyes cleared enough to focus, she gasped aloud. The commander was human. His skin was dark compared to hers and his eyes had an exotic slant and pale blue color that hinted at foreign origins but he was human.

Gazing at him imploringly, Aeris tried to catch his eyes to ask him where she was and why they held her, tied like a prisoner, but she noticed that he did not even try to look in her eyes. He was inspecting her like some prize catch. She caught a glimpse of the look in his eyes and with a shock saw the predatory gleam that shone from the pale blue orbs. She could see that he wanted her and she quailed inwardly at the thought. She was at his mercy.

With a jolt Aeris comprehended that this man, although a man, was still the enemy. He was not an ally; he was the commander of those who held her. Dropping her head again, she gave in to tears of hopelessness. She had no one with her to help, no one to even talk to. She was alone.

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	19. Chapter 19

19. Combat and Death.

Commander L'Arith smiled and turned away from the beautiful young woman standing limply, leaning on her bonds. He could see the fear and anguish in her face, but knew that she had not realized the full horror of her position. She did not know the atrocities that lay in store for her under his 'care'.

Chuckling to himself he turned away and walked back to his tent. He would leave her tied to the tree as long as they were in camp, by the time they left, she should be docile and obedient, he thought.

He strode into his tent and stormed over to his desk. Placing his hands in the table he glared at the hapless sentry that had fallen asleep in his chair. He stared at the guard for a few seconds and reached a quick decision; whipping out the thin rapier, trademark of the Fangarol mercenaries, he brought it down in a quick sweep, severing the hand of the sleeping guard. The sentry's eyes flew open and immediately rolled back in his head, from his mouth came a strangled moan of agony; he pitched sideways off the chair and lay twitching on the ground.

L'Arith stepped over the man on the ground, and after sitting gracefully down at his desk, he nodded to the wide eyed guards who had come running to see what the commotion was.

'Get the fool out of here.' he said harshly. 'No one was to enter my tent while I was absent, see the rewards of disobedience.'

Bowing their heads subserviently, the two terrified guards dragged their wounded companion backwards out of the tent.

L'Arith sighed and signaled the mute runner who stood next to his desk, watching all that passed dispassionately; he gave him a message and sent him out of the door at a run. Sitting back in his chair, he waited.

In less than thirty minutes L'Arith had all the Captains of his fifty mercenary divisions sitting under the shade of his enormous tent. Leaning over his desk, he cast an eye over each and every one of them. Suddenly he grinned, flashing pearly white teeth in his ebony face. Standing up behind his desk he spread his arms and proclaimed, 'We have a woman in camp. She is fair of face and lithe and lean. But only the best squad among you useless mongrels may have her sweet embrace.'

Winking over exaggeratedly at them he said, 'The competition begins tonight!'

Cheering and clapping, the mercenaries rushed out his tent to catch a glimpse of the choice prize, and to begin preparing for the coming contest.

By the time evening came, the mercenaries had worked themselves up into a frenzy of excitement. What could the commander have in mind for the contest? The divisions of fighters separated into their groups around the massive evening bonfire and eagerly awaited their commander's announcement.

Standing slowly the Commander L'Arith immediately called all eyes to him, and all conversation hushed as they listened for what he would say.

'Men,' shouted L'Arith. 'You will all, by now, know of the delicate flower we have in our midst!' he pointed to Aeris who stood, illuminated by the flickering light of the fire. 'And you will all know of the contest to claim her for your squad!'

At this pronouncement the camp broke into wild cheers; but they quickly hushed as the Commander continued on with his announcement. 'I have in my hand a painted rod of wood.' he called, holding it aloft. 'Who ever defeats me in single combat to the death and claims this rod, shall win our beauty for their division; and have first taste of her himself!'

At this unexpected turn of events the gathering around the campfire was thrown into an uproar. No one had ever bested L'Arith with a blade, but no one wanted to see him claim the tantalizing beauty that was the prize.

After a few minutes heated argument, four men stepped forward to challenge the Leader of the mercenaries. L'Arith grinned in anticipation; the four challengers were the elite leaders of his four personal squadrons, the Death-Bringers. These four men would at least make the competition interesting before he sent them each screaming to Kalharoth's embrace. Still grinning his wolfish grin, he assessed each of the men in turn.

The tallest of the men was Farlasai, one of the desert tribesmen from the far south; his strengths would be his phenomenal endurance and his swiftness with a scimitar. Danreld, a willowy man from Eastern Home, would be the quickest moving, but L'Arith knew that his speed masked a lack of power in his blows. The shortest by far was Jasse, a fiery, short-tempered warrior from the Border Mountains. L'Arith knew he would have to keep a close eye on Jasse and his twin swords. The most dangerous of the four fighters was standing near to the group but slightly apart from it. He was average in height, but he was covered in long lean muscle, from years on the unforgiving battlefields. The warrior's name was Rahellar, one of the last survivors of the ancient race of killers, the Tal'Karrah.

Seeing L'Arith's overt yet intense scrutiny of him and his companions, Rahellar caught his eye and bared his pointed teeth arrogantly at the commander. L'Arith broke the intense battle of wills first, but in his head he was laughing at the Tal'Karrah's naivety. The only reason that he had to break the stare was to give the younger man's ego a boost and gain a psychological advantage for the coming fight.

L'Arith raised his hands and again called silence upon the assembled warriors. 'The battle shall be thus.' he yelled over the dying rumbles of the crowd. 'These four with the bravery to face me, shall first face each other to gain the honor of fighting me. It shall be Jasse against Danreld for the first fight, and Farlasai shall fight Rahellar. The winners of each battle will face off against each other and the final winner will fight me at sundown tomorrow. And for those who think that the flower of loveliness that stands here with me is not enough of a prize, the victor of the death-bout with me shall also win command of the horde. He shall control the Mercenaries of The Angel Horde!'

At this, the gathering broke into wild cheers, and the four contestants stepped forward to begin their battles.

Jasse was the first to step into the prepared ring and reluctantly Danreld followed him. The two men faced each other, waiting tensely for L'Arith's signal to begin. The commander raised a blood red shred of silk and let it gently flutter to the ground in the center of the ring.

x

Circling Danreld, Jasse watched the taller man and gauged his weaknesses; from Danreld's tense shoulders and stilted walk, Jasse could tell that the man was afraid of him. Testing this theory he feinted towards him and was rewarded with an almost imperceptible flinch; just a quick jolt across the shoulders, but it was enough.

Capitalizing on this early advantage Jasse whipped out his twin blades and, crouching low, he advanced on Danreld, swords held out in front of him; he was encouraged by Danreld, who fell back as though frightened.

What Jasse was unaware of though, was Danreld's front of cowardice, was just that, pretence. From the beginning of the fight, Danreld had been manipulating Jasse into making such a hurried charge, and now that the man had committed himself to a certain course of action, Danreld knew what he had to do.

Waiting until Jasse was almost on top of him, Danreld suddenly leapt over his head in an acrobatic flip and, landing behind the man, he unsheathed his longsword and reversed it in a deadly thrust towards Jasse's unprotected back. His sword hissed through empty air.

Even though Jasse had taken Danreld's fear for granted, he had still refused to think that this fight would be easy. When the tall warrior had leapt over him, he had anticipated a swift and deadly strike; so he had taken action to ensure that the strike would not reach its mark. As soon as he heard the sword hiss from its scabbard he had let his legs collapse and he fell to the floor seconds before the thrust would have pierced his heart.

From his prone position he flipped athletically to his feet and rushed towards the now wary swordsman. He reached Danreld, and again he did the unexpected. This time, instead of attempting to take the man sword to sword, he aimed a swift series of slashes to Danreld's ankles, forcing him into a sequence of ungainly bunny hops backwards to avoid his feet and legs parting company. These strokes he followed with a succession of clubbing overhand blows, giving the fighter no time to recover his balance or his wits.

Danreld could sense the fight slipping from his control and made a desperate attempt to regain his domination of earlier. He knocked both of Jasse's swords away from his face and executed another leap, this time using the added height to bring a scything blow down onto the shorter man. Jasse barely managed to bring his swords up to block the unexpected blow, and he never saw the reverse swing that cleaved his head from his shoulders. No one had known that Danreld fought with a longsword, and a dagger hidden in his belt.

Shocked by this sudden turn of events, the surrounding crowd took a few seconds to assimilate the death of Jasse who had seemed so in control of the battle. When the reality hit, they burst into screams of appreciation for the brave warrior who had brought down one of their best.

x

Next into the circle were Farlasai and Rahellar. The desert man saluted the grinning Tal'Karrah who made no effort to return the honor; instead he spat derisively into the sandy circle. The gathering of soldiers collectively gasped, there was no worse insult to an honor bound tribesman of the desert.

Again the blood-soaked rag of silk fell to the ground and the concentration of the fighters focused on the death battle. Everyone standing around the ring knew that Farlasai would attempt to extend the bout as long as possible, to sap Rahellar's strength and wear him down until he could strike an easy deathblow.

Farlasai grinned and stepped in for a classic desert style opening, an overhand sweep across the face of his opponent; the strike never reached its mark.

The onlookers had not seen the blow that had killed Farlasai; all they had seen was the tall dark man sink to his knees, blood pouring from an opened throat. L'Arith however had seen what had occurred all too well. He had seen the desert man raise his sword for a predictable opening strike but before the man's sword had even reached the top of its arc, the swift Tal'Karrah had stepped in close, too fast for most eyes to follow and had drawn his razor sharp, Tal'Karrahi steel blade across Farlasai's neck, severing his jugular vein, killing him instantly.

Too shocked by the instant death dealt to another of their elite warriors, all that could be heard from the crowd was a few scattered claps and mutterings. Rahellar paid no heed to the stunned reaction and stalked off towards his tent to prepare for his next fight at second moonrise, under the light of the smaller, red moon Talakhi.




	20. Chapter 20

20. Evil Fate.

Aeris shook her head trying to shake away the tears that constantly dripped down her cheeks. How could this happen to her? She would give anything to even see Sephiroth's face again. Even his betrayal seemed small compared to the horror of this captivity.

Tied to the tree as she was, Aeris could view the bloodshed held for the prize of her body, and her frail body quaked with barely restrained terror at each stab and she could hardly refrain from screaming when Jasse was dealt his deathblow. Her first sight of Rahellar however struck her mind almost like a physical blow and sent her mind reeling back into hideous, nightmarish memories.

_She was seven years old again, her birthday had occurred just the day before and she was still floating high on the new feelings coursing through her. Seven was the age that Ancients gained prescience and also the age that they were ordained into the religion of Starmardi. The day after her birthday, today, was to become a night of Talakhi; the one night of the year that the red moon Talakhi rose in a full blood-red circle. This was the holy night of Starmarda, Goddess of All._

_Her day passed in a blissful daze and it seemed only moments later that she was being robed in a gown of shimmering silver and a glowing gold circlet placed on her plaited auburn hair. She twirled, delighted in her finery before her mother gathered her close and gently admonished her for her irreverence._

_She turned to look up at her mother, and in the grip of the memory was spellbound by the beautiful face that she knew so well. She had not thought of her mother in a long time, and she stared at the striking woman as if at a stranger. It was then that she realized that this was no ordinary memory, it was a true vision; and she was actually in the mind of her seven-year-old self._

_She mentally sat back, content to just gaze at her mother who she had not seen in over two hundred years. She suddenly straightened and her gaze narrowed as she remembered the horrific events that took place at her ordination._

_She dragged her consciousness out of her young head and her spirit watched the unfolding scene from above her own head. She didn't want to see what was about to happen but she was completely powerless to stop the course of the vision._

_Her younger self walked blithely out of the small ceremonial hut and she paced demurely, head down, along the flower-strewn path towards the Diardhirrim that had honored their coming of age ceremony with his magical presence. She stopped in front of him and hesitantly raised her eyes to his face._

_The look that the priest gave her chilled her to the bone. He spoke into her mind and his urgent words warned her of terrible events irrevocably set in motion and he told her of the one way that she could survive the coming terror. He told her of how he would be struck down and of how he could shield her with his dying body. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she shook with silent sobs, but some detached part of her was coldly storing his instructions away._

_She heard the screams before she saw the bringer of the death that stalked down the flower path, now covered in the blood of her people. The killer's face was obscured with a floating cloud of fine silver hair but she still saw the murderous gleam in his glowing green eyes, and her older self suddenly realized what she had blocked from her traumatized memory. The one, who had slaughtered the gathering of her people, all those years ago, was Sephiroth._

_Seven-year-old Aeris looked back towards the brutal sounds of death and froze, the moment expanding into an age. Sephiroth, The Assassin, was steadily advancing on her mother and father who stood protectively in front of her, at the bottom of the dais on which she was standing._

_Before she could get her mouth to work, before she could force a sound between her lips, Sephiroth's deadly blade had flashed twice in the red light of Talakhi. Her parents took an eternity to fall, and in that infinity she heard the small guttural cry that finally fell from her lips._

_The Assassin stood over her dead family and a single wing burst from his shoulder. Aeris' scalp tingled and she recognized a mighty magic being wrought. In a split instant, before her brain could react, her body flung itself sideways at the feet of the Diardhirrim._

_Sephiroth flung out his arms and channeled the gathered magic, a beam of white light flashing to the earth from the very vaults of heaven. The beam struck Sephiroth's upraised hands and it coalesced into a golden sphere that pulsed with arcane power, like a malevolent heartbeat. He slowly opened his hands and the evil globe expanded to fill the space, now flickering with the terrifying colors of hell itself. He threw his hands out and with a primal scream, released the immense magic on the stunned remains of the Starmardi gathering._

_Aeris buried her face in her hands as the devastating magic ripped through flesh and shattered bone like glass. The heavy body of the priest fell on top of her mercifully masking the horrible sounds and blocking out the tiny droplets of blood that filled the air in a mist._

_She felt her consciousness breaking up, and with her last waking thought, pulled herself out of the sickening past, and back into the bleak future._

She let out a choking sob and felt her legs buckle. She hung against the ropes and let her grief overwhelm all of her senses. Sephiroth had brutally murdered her whole family and had tried to kill her; he had insinuated himself into her life with the intent to kill everyone that she loved. And now he had gained the love and support of Leon and the trust of Cloud and Tifa. There was nothing left for her back at her old home. She now had nothing and no one. The realization ripped at her soul and tortured her inside. The racking tears were her only relief, however slight that was.

x x x



Unknown to Aeris however, she was being watched from the cover of the trees. Rahellar was observing the tender prize that he already regarded as his own. His translucent yellow-green eyes glowed in the half-light of dusk and he stalked closer to Aeris, bound securely to the tree.

He stopped once he reached the edge of the sheltering woods and sat down gracefully to think through his options. As soon as the large silver moon, Cayasa sunk below the horizon, plunging the scenery into deep gloom, Rahellar rose to his feet and stole slowly towards the dozing girl.

Careful not to wake her, he slit her bonds and then roughly placed a hand over her mouth to stifle the inevitable scream. Aeris' eyes opened wide as she realized she was free and then she suddenly had a chilling revelation; the hands that held her were the rough, almost scaly hands of a Tal'Karrah, one of the most reviled races of Echoa.

Smothering Aeris' screams, Rahellar dragged her almost noiselessly into the cover of the forest. He had been told his destiny at birth, according to the rituals of his people, and he had been told of this meeting with the last Ancient. He had however, corrupted his future in his mind and he was now acting on an illusion. His destiny was now an evil fate.

Once he and Aeris had reached the cover of the low-hanging trees Rahellar spun the frightened woman around to stare into his serpent like eyes. He let his gaze wander over her lithe body and ran his forked tongue over his pointed teeth in anticipation.

All of his life he had waited for this moment and now that it had come he found he could no longer control his desire. He grabbed Aeris by the throat and shoved her up against a tree. He pressed his strong body against hers and parted her lips in a loveless kiss that pressed her lips into his pointed teeth, cutting them cruelly.

Aeris, with her arms finally free, tried to push him away from her and writhed helplessly in his grip. The Tal'Karrah was too strong for her to do more than pathetically strike at his back. Her resistance aroused him beyond measure and he threw her across the small clearing to smash hard into a large boulder.

Half conscious she tried to rise from the ground but he was already on top of her, tearing at her delicate pink dress, ripping it away from her quaking body.

By the time her clothes lay in tatters on the ground she could not do anything except watch, detached from her body, as he stood up and ripped off his brief desert style kilt and knelt down next to her.

As Rahellar roughly grabbed at her breasts, and reached further down, something inside Aeris broke. She could not let this happen to her, there was no way that she could let him do this to her. A Tal'Karrah, and an Ancient, it could not happen!

Aeris shoved Rahellar away suddenly and gained enough time to scramble to her feet before he grabbed her ankle, throwing her to the ground. He pinned her wrists above her head, and pushed a knee between her thighs, forcing them apart.

Aeris struggled fiercely again and managed to free one arm before the Tal'Karrah pulled back a fist and slapped her viciously across the face. This girl would not cheat him of his fate.

Frantically Aeris tried to get up again and Rahellar hit her yet again. Her struggles increased his excitement, the sight of the blood running down her beautiful face roused him to new heights of lust and he hit her over and over again.

Rahellar smashed his fist repeatedly into Aeris' face and torso until finally her vision fogged and she lay limp beneath him, bleeding from her nose and mouth, nearly unconscious.

Rahellar pushed unresisting legs apart and with one hard thrust, rammed inside her, forcing a scream of pain from her cut and bleeding lips. Her pain increased his pleasure and he slammed in again and again, each time drawing forth moans at the unbearable pain. The violence of this illicit pleasure brought him to a sudden peak and with a final brutal thrust he came deep inside her. He collapsed on top of her as she shrieked one last time in muffled agony, feeling his seed spill deep into her, and making the obscene violation complete.

Rahellar relaxed on top of Aeris for a few seconds to regain his breath and then withdrew from her battered bleeding body dispassionately. He looked down at her huddled figure and noticed for the first time the large bloodstains between her thighs. He had not known that the last Ancient, that he was destined to get with child, was untouched, a virgin.

The Tal'Karrah felt no guilt over the intense agony that he had caused the young woman, and he had no regrets over the unspeakable act he had just committed. Instead he felt a complete sense of fulfillment in the act of turning his prophesized fate into reality. Beyond the rape he had no thought of what was to happen, but he strode over to Aeris and dragged her upright by her wrist, with vague ideas of stealing away in the last minutes of dusk to preserve his life, now forfeited by his deplorable deed.

He never even felt the gun barrel that was placed against the back of his head, or the bullet that blew off his face.

The bearer of the gun stood over Aeris and stared in stunned disbelief at her savaged form. The woman lying in front of him was beautiful, but her beauty had been abused beyond belief. Her eyes were swollen shut, her nose seeping blood, and skin had split on her eyelids and lips.

This assault was incomprehensible to the tall mercenary, and pushing fine black hair out of his shadowed eyes, he gently gathered the woman's still form into his arms. He straightened up with a terrible look on his face and strode off towards the edge of the forest, and the thinnest part of The Angel's army. He could no longer ignore the evil that was The Angel and he resolved to bring an end to her whatever that cost to himself.




	21. Chapter 21

21. Memories of Dark Times.

Aeris came back to consciousness reluctantly. Every part of her body felt as if it had been hit with a hammer. Deep inside she felt an ache that she knew would never really heal and, curling up into a tight ball, she let go her pent up pain and terror in dry heaving sobs that shook her whole body.

Suddenly she heard footsteps coming towards her, and she curled even tighter into herself, her mind numb with terror at the thought that the Tal'Karrah was returning to rape her again and again. She abruptly sat up straight, completely unaware of her surroundings. She could not let Rahellar do that to her again. She would die first.

Aeris cast frantically around her for something sharp, anything that could end her suffering her eye finally lighting on a shard of flint that had chipped off one of the rocks nearby, just as a man stepped around the boulders that surrounded her resting place; she snatched it up and placed it against her breast, ready to slam it into her heart.

x x x

Vincent rounded the rocks and came to a sudden halt at seeing the resolute young woman on the verge of death. Without a thought he dived across the space between them and crashed into Aeris, tugging her thrust off target, turning the killing stab into a glancing blow that open a deep but not deadly gash on her arm. He enveloped her in his strong arms attempting to quell her struggles and found that he needed all of his strength to pin her down.

Aeris, at finding herself again at the mercy of a strange man, went limp. There was nothing she could do now except hope for a quick, relatively painless death. But instead of the violence that she expected to come, the man only held her, tenderly in his arms, and she realized that the man who held her was not the vicious Tal'Karrah.

Vincent lifted Aeris off her back into a sitting position and held her close, trying with his closeness to stave off the terror that consumed her. He gritted his teeth at the recollection of what this woman, barely more than a girl, had been made to suffer and stroked her long, auburn hair tenderly, determined to find her people and save her from the ravages of The Angel's conquests.

Aeris cried herself to sleep in the arms of the strange but gentle man who freed her from the cruel captivity of Rahellar and when he was sure she was asleep, Vincent carefully carried her to a soft bed of leaves and left her to sleep, unconsciousness would hopefully lessen the harsh memories left behind by a heartless assault.

Vincent sat just outside of the circle of boulders that lay around Aeris' bed; from outside the stones looked like a small army of shadow dragons to guard her sleep. He stared up at the coldly glittering stars, his face stained red in the glow of the blood-moon Talakhi.

The tall mercenary gazed blindly at the dark sky and his thoughts flew back across the ages to a time when he knew a woman who matched the beauty of the ill treated girl he had saved from a life of abuse and horror.

_Vincent sighed in contentment as he slipped an arm around the shoulders of the tall woman standing next to him. Together they gazed at the three shining crescent moons of the small planet S'Arqui and they smiled at the tranquility of the moment._

_Lucretia looked up at the stars and hugged herself closer to Vincent. She had something to tell him, but she hated to spoil the serene mood of the night with the huge news that she had to tell him._

'_Vincent.' she finally said after a long moment of silence. 'I have something to tell you. It's . . . I don't know how to say this so please be patient my Love.'_

_Vincent stiffened slightly but tightened his arm around Lucretia's shoulders. 'Of course Love,' he murmured softly. 'Whatever it is you can tell me.'_

_Lucretia's face broke into a gentle smile and she stroked her hand over Vincent's cheek, drawing in a deep breath. 'I, well, I'm pregnant.'_

_She hesitantly raised her eyes up to his face, ready for an expression of shock or rejection, but instead she saw his face break into the biggest grin she had ever seen. _

_He did not even bother replying to her unspoken plea for acceptance, instead he pulled her in for a passionate kiss. They lowered themselves slowly down onto the grass and they lost themselves in each other. Through their intense yet tender lovemaking they rose to heights of ecstasy and together they flew among the stars on the wings of their love._

x_  
_

_Lucretia screamed, a sound of pure agony, and Vincent gripped her hand as though to offer her his strength. She shrieked again, and Vincent turned frantically towards the quiet figure sitting across the bed._

'_Healer what is wrong!' he cried. "Is there any way to ease her pain? Her suffering is killing me because there is nothing I can do.'_

_The unassuming holy man looked up at the distraught man and said, 'She is young for such a birth. This child shall bring pain and destruction to many as well as bringing about the end of the one that you love. She will be known as Kalika Kali Ma, the destroyer of life, if she lives to draw breath in this world.'_

_Vincent stared in horror at Eldai, the old healer and felt his breath hiss from his lungs at the dire prediction. "Old man, you condemn my child to living hell with your words; is there no way to thwart the fate destined for my daughter?'_

_Eldai lowered his eyes and turned away from Vincent. 'The only way to save countless thousands from the Dark Destroyer is to end her existence before her first breath of life. The child must be killed now.'_

_Vincent's legs gave way, and he sank to the ground his eyes filling with tears. 'My daughter.' He moaned heartbrokenly. 'I must kill my first child to save the future of many?' he sucked in a quick breath and turned to Eldai. 'Do it.' he whispered._

_Eldai sat unmoving and spoke quietly. 'To end the life of the Destroyer would do more than just kill your daughter Vincent. It would also kill the one you love the most. It would kill Lucretia.'_

_Tears filled Vincent's eyes and he buried his face in his hands. 'This you cannot ask of me.' He cried helplessly. 'I want you to save the life of Lucretia and Kalika! Please save the woman I love!'_

_The healer sighed and nodded slowly. 'I knew that you would ask this of me. I knew that the Destroyer would be born. Yet I had to warn you of your daughter's fate. You were to know of what your wife bore within her. I will save their lives, but you will always bear the burden of the Destroyer's existence.'_

Vincent dragged himself out of the troubling memory. He had almost forgotten over the ages that it was because of him that The Angel walked the earth. His mind again soared backwards through the years and he found himself in another time and place.

_Again Lucretia's scream cut the air and bit deep into Vincent's soul, but this time there was no healer to help her through the difficult birth._

_Suddenly through the door came someone Vincent hadn't laid eyes on in what seemed like forever. It was Kalika._

_He ran to her and grabbed her arm looking into her eyes pleadingly. 'Your mother is giving birth Kalika.' He cried. 'Can you help us please?'_

_His daughter stared at him with fathomless eyes like large purple jewels. 'My father,' she said emotionlessly. 'Mother is going to die. The child inside her is not that which was once your son and nor is it hers anymore. Her experiments of science carried out with the scientist Hojo were more than simple genetics. They took your child growing inside of Lucrecia and then they instilled in him the power of the Outsider Jenova. This child to be born is not properly of Lucretia's or your body. It will be something else. Something that must not be allowed to live.'_

_Vincent stared in horror as Kalika talked of the murder of her own mother and could only stand by as she turned to him and said, 'Father of mine, I must destroy this being. Stand aside and let me carry out this duty.'_

_A groan ripped from his throat and Vincent fell to his knees, blackness tugging at his vision, his mind fogging. How could the child of his body have turned into such a hateful creature? She was about to kill her own mother without a single sign of regret or remorse._

_As Kalika moved closer to Lucretia's writhing body however, Vincent leaped to his feet and hurled himself at her. Lucretia meant more to him than life and he would not just sit by and let his own daughter kill the one woman that he loved._

_Kalika had already begun her incantation of oblivion when Vincent crashed into her, knocking her sideways off her feet. The spell was almost finished, but the final syllables of the chant were obliterated in her cursing as she fell hard to the ground._

_Vincent felt a wash of searing hot air pass his face, barely missing him and he screamed in mindless agony as the spell traced a glowing arcane symbol on Lucretia's forehead and sank into her head, stilling her labored breathing and sending her soul soaring out of her mouth in a formless mist of silver-gray._

_Vincent screamed. A sound that came from deep in his throat and tore out of his mouth, shattering the deathly silence left by Kalika. Then he heard a small wail; the cry of his newborn son. Kalika had achieved the murder of her mother, but the incomplete spell had failed to take the life of the baby._

_He gathered the small bundle into his arms and left the hut without a backwards glance. Many times throughout the following years he would wish that he had taken the time to give his Love a decent burial, but all he could think about then, was finding Jenova and giving her son over into her powerful protection._

Breathing hard, Vincent jerked out of his hideous memories. For a thousand years he had refused to believe that evil had consumed the soul of The Angel, but it had taken the rape and near death of an innocent young woman to force him to see the truth of his daughter.

He had an obligation to this young woman even though he did not even know her name. She was a victim of his daughter's malevolence and thanks to his weakness and love those thousands of years ago, she was suffering; she had suffer the worst of all violations and it all came back to him. He would help her return to her old life, away from The Angel, he would return her to whomever she called family.

****


	22. Chapter 22

22. Guilt of Haunted Dreams.

Tifa had been too consumed with the full implications of Sephiroth's full confessions to pay much attention to her friend's reactions, but she was shocked when Aeris had rushed from the small house, crying and oblivious to Tifa's call. Then, when Cloud had decided to sound Sephiroth's spirit for any deceit, Aeris had fled to the back of Tifa's mind, and had only resurfaced when Tifa had slipped into an exhausted doze on the couch.

Tifa bolted upright and almost fell off the couch. Aeris! How could she have forgotten about her best friend? She did not even know where Aeris had disappeared to!

Cursing herself for a fool, Tifa pulled on her discarded skirt and ran into the spare bedroom calling for Cloud. She halted abruptly when she caught sight of Cloud sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at the wall. Hiding behind the door she could hear him mumbling to himself, 'Leon, damn you Leon. You haunt my dreams. I need you.'

She leaned backwards against the wall, out of sight from his room and slid down until she could rest her forehead on her knees. Her Cloud did not love her anymore. He was in love with Leon. The beautiful fighter had charmed the heart of her only love. How could this happen? She could not live without Cloud. Life without him had no light in it.

Yet living a lie, she thought. That is a life not worth living. Once Aeris is found, and things with Sephiroth are resolved, I will have to leave this place. I could never live with Cloud and bind him to this lie, just as he could not live long knowing of his heart's true passions.

Tifa pulled herself up from her sitting position and tiptoed back, a short way down the hallways. Then she turned around and deliberately stomped back up the hall, giving Cloud every chance to hear her approach. She stopped briefly outside his door and drew in a deep breath. This was going to dearly cost her, this deceit; but she was determined to put on a brave face, if only for her past love for Cloud, the beautiful golden haired fighter.

x x x

Cloud stiffened as he heard Tifa's loud progress along the hall and gratefully took the opportunity to pull himself together. He had not slept that night; thoughts of Leon had flowed through his head and he had been tormented by the sounds of Sephiroth's moaning mixed with Leon's as they made love next door.

He turned to Tifa as she came through his door and treated her to a wide smile that, even though it was strained and somewhat pasted on, drew a large one in return from her. Cloud put his arms around Tifa's neck and kissed her deeply in a last attempt to convince himself that he still loved this beautiful woman, and convince _her_ that he still wanted her.

Tifa's response was a passionate despairing kiss, but Cloud was so stunned by his own lack of emotion, that he completely failed to notice the final feel of her embrace and the look of desolation on her face as she pulled away.

Cloud's dark thoughts were immediately banished at the first words to come out of Tifa's mouth. 'Cloud, Aeris is still not back. She never goes out of the house at night, she is always back by sundown. I think we should start looking for her, I'm really worried.'

Staring at Tifa's worried, but still lovely face, Cloud was suddenly thrust back into his role as leader and he took charge with hardly a thought. 'Tifa, go wake Leon and Sephiroth, tell them to be down in the kitchen as soon as they can. Tell them, when they are down, that I have gone to seek the counsel of the Starmardi priest Eldai. Wait at the house until I return.'

Without another glance at the woman he had been with for as long as he could remember, Cloud strode from his room, down the stairs, and out into the dim light of dawn. His thoughts were solely occupied with the potential danger to his longtime friend, but deep in the back of his mind he could feel the guilt of his betrayal of Tifa, and the turmoil of his confused feelings towards Leon, the enigmatic fighter that with one look, turned his world upside-down.

He mercifully made it out of sight of the house before his composure broke and he collapsed gracelessly at the foot of a tree; dry heaving with force of his sobs. Tifa was the one person to give him solace from all his troubles through the hardest years of his life and more then that, she had always been the one he could depend upon to give him clarity. She made things seem simple with her insights and gentle suggestions and now he was thinking of throwing it all away for a dream. Leon was with Sephiroth and from what Cloud could tell, they were meant to be; this didn't negate his feelings for Leon however, it made them hopeless, and he did not know how to deal with deceiving Tifa and living with a false hope.

After what seemed like forever of lying weeping under the tree, Cloud finally pulled himself up and resolutely wiped away his tears. The emotional respite that he had gained would only be a temporary one, he knew, but he was determined to use that reprieve to the full. Finding Aeris for Tifa would assuage some of his shame in his own eyes and knew that he could not let a friend suffer by taking the time to indulge in his own personal pain.

Squaring his shoulders and drawing a deep shuddering breath, Cloud walked slowly away from the house, and Tifa, into the quickly brightening forest. He knew that he was the one person who could find Eldai in this time of crisis. What no one knew of Cloud, indeed, what he had only just learnt of himself, was that he had a connection with Eldai; a connection deeper then a shared past or that of a tutor to a student, a connection of blood. He knew, deep inside his heart that Eldai was his father.




	23. Chapter 23

**23. Voice of Faith and Trust.**

Eldai paused his flight. His mind had been soaring beyond the Border Mountains, across the Forgotten Lands when he had seen a flash of something in his minds eye. He focused on the fleeting image with all of his power and his concentration was rewarded with a slightly longer glimpse of the moving image.

The second Eldai comprehended the mental message he bent his power on the long journey back to his body. His consciousness streaked through the air, invisible except for a vague impression of a red blur darting across the landscape, the red color of his thoughts betraying his distress.

The image that had flashed across his mind and disturbed him so was a likeness of Cloud standing alone in the woods, face streaked with tears and calling wildly for the 'Diardhirrim'. He was asking for the priest's aid in finding his lost friend, the last Ancient.

Eldai had had no idea that the last Ancient, Aeris was outside of the protection of the formidable group of fighters that were her friends and this piece of information chilled him to his very core. He knew something that none on Echoa knew, he alone knew the full importance of the continuation of the race of ancients.

Eldai raced to return to his body as fast as he could, but it was still little under an hour when he reached the still form lying in a grove at the southern outskirts of the woods. He gave his body no time to recover from the drain of such a strenuous mental flight and leaped straight to his feet as soon as his physical eyes flew open. As a consequence his steps were far from steady and he stumbled dizzily for a few paces before falling at the foot of a tree in a crumpled heap.

Doggedly the old healer pulled himself upright using the thin willow tree as a support. He closed his eyes in an attempt to gain some semblance of equilibrium and moved his free hand in a ritual charm of teleportation and whispered the potent words to seal the spell.

Cloud was still hoarsely yelling his appeal to the empty blue sky when Eldai materialized out of thin air to a spot just off to his left. The Diardhirrim staggered a few steps, and nearly fell again when Cloud reached out lightening quick to catch him before he hit the ground. He held the old man close, feeling the immense power that filled healer's frail looking body and he suddenly pushed Eldai back slightly so that he could look the old man in his eyes.

'I must know something old man.' He said bluntly. 'Locked away inside my mind were memories of a terrible event, and I know you are connected.'

'In my past is the knowledge of the One Winged Angel, Sephiroth, and of years of training in the Diardhi art of mind travel. One of these hidden happenings was the memory of watching the destruction of the fabled White City Alira. I have never been able to recall how I was caught in the avalanche that took my hand and gave me this.' he said quietly, holding up his metal claw. 'But now I know it happened during Sephiroth's obliteration of Alira. I want to know why you would hide pieces of my past from me. Why would you do this!?'

Eldai bowed his head before Cloud's anger and waited until the furious man had lapsed into an impatient silence. 'Cloud,' he said once the blond fighter had finished his tirade. 'I am your father; this you will know. What you do not know is that I have lived for centuries; far longer than even your One Winged Angel. It was eons ago and millions of miles away from this world when even the universe was young that I was born, and my life was peaceful until war visited my small planet. A ruthless conquering race invaded our home, and I was almost one of the million killed in the merciless subjugation of my nation.

I was close to death when my heartbeat stilled and I fled my mortal shell, through the heavens to stand in front of a gently glowing white figure; the beautiful woman Starmarda, goddess of the Diardhirrim. She told me that I amongst all the mortals had been chosen to become her voice on earth and that if I chose to accept her charge, I would live to be revered among the ones that I taught her ways. She then told me that if I became her mortal voice I would bear the curse of knowing the future; knowing everything that was meant to happen. This foreknowledge would be of the right things, not always the good things and I was to be charged with bringing the right events to fruition. In my arrogance I chose to be the Goddess's emissary on earth without a second thought as to the cost that would inevitably come with such a great gift.

As the years flew past and my travels under her wishes grew further and further a-field, I began to realize the tremendous price that came with Starmarda's gift. I never aged, my outward appearance never changed, but inside I felt the weight on my heart and mind growing with each passing year.

It is only through the Goddess's grace that your mother was able to bear you to full term and give birth to you, though she died in the effort, and it is only through her will that I still walk the lands of Echoa. Her mercy spared your life in the destruction of the White City and she saved your hand by giving me the power to fashion you a working metal claw.

Be thankful for the respite of knowledge granted you by Starmarda, for she has need of you now, and the years of peace were a gift of great generosity.'

Cloud stared in stunned silence at the diminutive man. He had no answer to the healer's astounding revelations, but his eyes filled with tears as he comprehended the Diardhirrim's sacrifices and he covered his face with his hands, full of self-loathing.

His indignity over his lost memories seemed childish and petty in the face of Eldai's selflessness and he sat staring at the ground, seeing nothing, tears pouring down his cheeks. He was suddenly drawn out of his self-centered rage as Eldai knelt down beside him and took the weeping fighter into his arms.

Cloud felt his rage and self-hatred drain away in the face of the man's unconditional love toward him, the son that Eldai never should have had, and he held his father tightly to his chest in a hug that attempted to convey all the love and respect he felt for the old man.

Eldai wiped the tears from Cloud's face and together they stood up, supporting each other. They limped slowly towards the edge of the forest and towards the safety of Cloud's house. They both needed somewhere to recover from their exhausting confrontation, and they needed to get back to Tifa, Leon and Sephiroth.

They had covered half of the forest at their sluggish pace, and just when they though that their legs would not carry them one step further, they saw Leon leading Sephiroth and Tifa through the woods towards them.



Leon's eyes had flown open the second that Tifa had hammered on his bedroom door. His dreams had been filled with monsters and terror and blood, and he welcomed the sudden rescue from the clutches of his nightmares.

Once he realized what it was that Tifa was actually yelling through his door however, he sat bolt upright in bed, jolting Sephiroth awake too. He leaned over and kissed the silver haired mage tenderly and earned a sleepy smile, which momentarily made him forget what had awakened him so suddenly. Seconds later he recalled Tifa's shout through the door and his smile fell from his face instantly.

He gazed at Sephiroth a moment longer before turning away and getting out of bed to hunt for his newest pair of leather pants that were buried somewhere under the mounds of clothes that littered his room. He found the crumpled pants deep within a pile of unwashed shirts and he was engrossed in the task of pulling them out unharmed when Sephiroth sleepily queried from under the bedclothes, 'My Love, what's wrong with Aeris?'

Leon straightened up and turned around slowly to face Sephiroth. 'How did you know that?' he asked. 'How did you know there was something wrong with Aeris? Do you know what is going on? Please tell me you are not part of it.'

Sephiroth quickly swung himself out of bed and stood naked in front of Leon with his hands on his hips. 'You still doubt me?' he said quietly. 'After I submitted my body and soul to Tifa's spirit-sounding? After reading the love in my eyes and hearing my feelings in my every breath, you still have doubts.

I love you Leon!' he said, his voice rising. 'I would do anything for you; die for you if I had to. But still you question my love, you watch me when you think I don't see. I tell you this Leon, no one will ever love you as much as I do, no one will ever . . .' his voice became choked with hopeless tears. 'I love you.' He whispered. 'Please forgive me for my past.'

Leon fell to his knees in front of the distraught mage and gently raised his chin so that Sephiroth was looking into his eyes. 'No my Love,' he said softly. 'Forgive me. I know how you love me; I only have to look at you to see it. Please do not think of me too harshly for not being able to dismiss the prejudices that I was taught. The Assassin, not you, murdered the innocents in Aeris' care, and you will redeem yourself of these acts in time. Also in time I will get past my preconceptions and lose sight of the Assassin forever. I ask you Sephiroth, please don't leave me. Please stay with me and help me through this. I don't want to lose you.'

Sephiroth again lowered his eyes to the ground. 'Leon, it hurts that you can't trust me. I can feel the pain searing into my heart; but know this, I could never leave you. You are my life, you make me whole. I will never leave you my Love. You can trust in that if in nothing else.'

With those words Sephiroth's icy demeanor broke and he fell into Leon's arms with a muffled cry of pain. Leon held the shaking warrior tightly in his arms, trying with his closeness to dispel the sadness that haunted Sephiroth. Leon too could feel a pain tearing at his soul, but his was the pain of guilt and half-trust. It would take time for him to be able to trust the mage with his heart, but he could not imagine life without his silver haired savior.

It took Tifa three tries to penetrate their shell of mutual sorrow, and she finally had to open the door and shout into the room, 'Please get downstairs! We have to talk!'

Leon pulled Sephiroth to his feet and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. They stood as if melded to each other locked in the feelings aroused by the kiss until they realized how long they had been standing there and they both broke apart quickly, blushing at the thought of Tifa waiting down in the kitchen. They pulled on their clothes as fast as they could, while still snatching kisses and fleeting touches. They were both bright red and slightly flustered by the time they made it downstairs to where Tifa was waiting at the kitchen table with a grim look on her face.



Tifa kept her eyes on the table as Leon and Sephiroth sheepishly looked at each other and joined her at the table. They all sat in a tense, awkward silence for some moments until Tifa decided to put them out of their misery. 'Aeris is being held somewhere against her will.' She said without preamble. 'Ever since she came to us, traumatized by the slaughter of the Assassin,' here she stopped and glared at Sephiroth, who looked away, his cheeks burning. 'She has not been out after dark for fear of his menace, and she would not have stayed away from our protection unless she was prevented from returning. We have to find her, for I can touch her mind and feel her terror. I can't stand having her suffer inside my head.'

Sephiroth glanced at Leon and then turned his head to face Tifa. 'Aeris is suffering. In my dreams I can link with the mind of one I am close to or one whom I need to find. Last night I dreamt of Aeris, and Leon somehow joined with my mind and felt what I felt. I could tell whom it was that I found and I know where Aeris is. She is in the camp of The Angel.

My mistress has now found out that I have betrayed her cause and she is now taking her vengeance into her own hands. She thinks that to kill the last Ancient will throw Echoa at her feet and give her complete control over the beliefs of all who dwell on this planet. She does not know what I know; that the murder of the last Ancient will bring about the destruction of Echoa and all who live upon her.'

Tifa and Leon listened to Sephiroth with growing awe. His power as a mage was immense indeed, to be able to sense a certain mind's location out of the turmoil of the thoughts of those nearby took endless patience and concentration even for the strongest of magi, and he was able to work this magic in his sleep! Tifa shook her head at this new insight into the one who had hunted their small group for so long. Cloud must have had such skill to hide them from his stalking for as long as he had.

Leon suddenly leaped up from the table, making both Sephiroth and Tifa jump, startled. He looked at them both and said, 'Well come on, if Aeris is suffering then we must find her! I was with Sephiroth in his dream-search and I felt the agony and terror that Aeris was experiencing. We have to go get Cloud and Eldai now, before something happens to Aeris. Not because she is the last Ancient and hope of our world, but because she is our friend, a part of us!'

With that he dashed from the table and out into the forest with Tifa and Sephiroth close behind. Leon and Tifa both had strong feelings for the quiet, diminutive girl who had lived with them for so long. Sephiroth too, in the short time he had known her, had come to admire her quiet acceptance and inner strength that was apparent through his delicate arts that allowed him to fully gauge a person's strengths and weaknesses.

Tifa had never before thought twice about Cloud and Leon's uncanny ability of finding each other when in great need, but now she wondered how much of the talent was due to feelings that ran deeper than friendship. She caught sight of Cloud and Eldai through the trees and shivered as a chill swept up her spine, and buried itself at the base of her skull. An undercurrent of something linked her with Cloud, Aeris and Leon, and now Sephiroth; this link was but a quicksilver thought that evaded her, despite all of her efforts to grasp it. She could not fathom this strange sense of connection; try as she might.

Only Sephiroth, the outsider, recognized the deep bond between the four friends that now included him. They were bound together through some higher agency than his own or The Angel's, and he wondered what power could have use for this strange group and their uncommon mixture of talents.


End file.
